Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

I have never wrote a review before but if any film deserves one, it is Dear Zachary: A Letter To A Son About His Father.

My mom and I are avid documentary watchers and we stumbled upon this doc when was on Netflix around 2013. We knew nothing going into it. But we were immediately transfixed. For a solid hour and a half we watched through laughter, through streaming tears, through the most abject, repugnant horror, and through the love that radiates from every person in this film.

Directed by Kurt Kuane, Andrew Bagby's best friend, he turned unspeakable tragedy into a story of love, justice, and a call for activism for bail reform, exposing the multiple failures of the justice system. Kurt also did an amazing job composing this film because by the end, you feel like you knew Andrew. You can feel the immense love and grief at the loss of his life and the impact it had, an impact that rippled like a tidal wave across the world by all those that love him. And to me, more than anything, you get to know Andrew's parents, David and Kate Bagby. There are not any words to describe those two beautiful, strong, resilient, dedicated, loving, angels-on-earth type of human beings they are. My heart aches and breaks for them. For all the horror that is documentary shows, there is a resounding notion of overwhelming love. For the violent, brutal, sickening, unthinkable, unspeakable atrocity these beautiful people have been through... I admire them from the bottom of my heart.

This documentary will rip your heart into pieces, ignite a burning fire of hatred in your soul... but it's worth every moment to "get to know" these beautiful people and the resilience that true love can sustain.

If you want more information after watching this, David Bagby write an incredible and just as heart breaking book called Dancing With The Devil that gives an in-depth, first hand account of what Kate and him endured moment by moment.

I would give this a hundred stars if I could.

I hope you've found any type of the slightest bit of peace and solace over the years. My thoughts are never far from you...

Always, A fellow human being

It's been about 4 years since I first watched this documentary, and I can honestly say that it still haunts me to this day. The unfolding of this story is so impactful. So raw. So heartbreaking.

Do yourself a favor and DO NOT look up anything about this case before or during your watch.

Paradise Lost has always been my favorite documentary series of all time. But this one is either tied for first or a very, very close second.

This is a truly devastating documentary all around, but their story is so incredibly important for the world to know. I promise, this documentary and story will stick with you for the rest of your life.

The subject matter of this documentary is overwhelming. The facts are harsh and unforgiving. The devil is real.

Voyeurism is a funny thing. Watching other people's little dramas or lives may seem boring at the outset, but often times it can be just as interesting, if not more so, than anything a big studio can come up with. With "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father," we as an audience get a glimpse into a man that we otherwise would never have known. And after viewing this film, I have to graciously thank writer/director Kurt Kuenne for this.

After the murder of his lifelong best friend, Dr. Andrew Bagby, filmmaker Kurt Kuenne decided to go and interview everyone who knew Andrew in order to give his late friend's soon-to-be born son a way to know his father. But unbeknownst to anyone, this film would turn into something completely different.

Reviewing this film is difficult. For one thing, no one had any idea where this film was going (Kuenne, who narrates, openly admits this, although no one could possibly imagine what was going to happen). But more importantly, this film has something that many films don't: passion. It has a voice. This film will make you laugh, cry, scream in both terror and anger, and so much more. Even the most politically, one-sided films do not speak to the viewer like this film. In that sense, this film is a masterpiece.

But, on a critical scale, it comes up a little short. For me, the most effective bits were the interviews about Andrew. Those were funny and touching. Even if it added a few extra minutes to the running time, it would have been worth it. I felt like I could have watched a whole day's worth of interviews about Andrew. But the film gets into the struggle between Shirley Turner, Andrew's ex-girlfriend and probable murderer and Andrew's parents, who are trying to seek custody Andrew's son, Zachary. The film sort of loses focus at times, and it really inhibits Kuenne's goal in letting us know who Andrew was. At the end, it almost seems like a piece of propaganda (see the movie and you'll understand). Judging by what happens, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but still. Of minor note, the film only shows the good things about Andrew. Not that Kuenne turns him into some sort of flawless figure (Bagby does that himself), but it would have made Bagby seem more well-rounded.

Yet I wholeheartedly recommend this film. It introduces us to a wonderful person, and his name was Andrew Bagby.

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is easily one of the most traumatic films I've ever seen. Its not technically the most impressive documentary film, but the subject matter is powerful-enough that you cannot help but be deeply impacted by the story. I've hesitated to suggest it to a few of my more fragile friends because it is one of those films that can leave you in an emotional funk for days afterward. Its that powerful of a film, but not for the faint of heart. I personally would not watch it again, though I'm grateful that the filmmaker stuck with the project through it all and did not give up, as many would have. I'm grateful this story was told, even if it was painful to experience.