Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is a heartbreaking documentary where filmmaker Kurt Kuenne goes on a journey filming the life of his close friend Andrew Bagby after he was shot by ex-girlfriend Shirley Jane Turner following his breakup with her.
Synopsis
The movie dives deep into the life of Andrew Bagby, his parents, close friends, neighbors, old sweetheart, and different people Andrew had contact with. According to Kurt Kuenne, the movie was only meant to be shown to Andrew's friends and family, and eventually his son, Zachary. It was a means for Zachary who wasn't born yet when his father died to learn about his father.
What's So Special About This Documentary?
Well throughout the documentary you begin by seeing the warmth of a home video meant for family only. However, the documentary slowly escalates toward being an indictment on the justice system as you see the mother not only getting away with the murder based on technicalities but also gaining custody.
You see Andrew's parents changing their homes to be closer to their grandson. And of course, you see closely the amount of sacrifice they make to keep Zachary feeling loved while having to be in the same place as the person who murdered their son with a gun.
You see the effect of Andrew's parents on the community they left as well as the one they go to. Their loving nature prevails.
The documentary is a journey that has ups and downs as you would see in life. You see people reminiscing and remembering and often may ask yourself "What if". An unshakable feeling of disturbance remains in the background of your head.
Finally, you will know it when you see it, the documentary shows a revelation and a world shattering event which transpires throughout the time Kurt Kuenne was filming it. This event takes the movie toward a whole new place of shock, pain, and attempted healing.
In Conclusion
I stated before that the way I judge documentaries is the same I would as regular movies. Simply put; if this was a movie, would I watch it and rate it highly? And in the case of Dear Zachary, the answer is yes.
There are small mistakes here and there. But, all of those work in the context of the movie itself as they really inform you how personal it is to the one making it as well as those being interviewed in it.
Dear Zachary isn't a documentary as much as it is a human story
You actually can find this award-winning documentary on Youtube, in case you decide to watch it. Although you may need a box of tissues as you do.
