Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

This has to be one of the saddest documentaries I have ever watched. The parents in this bio topic have suffered through more with such strength and grace that they are angels on earth. My heart goes out to them, I have no idea how they find the strength to get out of bed every day and go on. How any one human could be so cruel is beyond my nightmares. I saw this doc. a few years ago and it still haunts me. I pray for these people and that they find peace in this world.

This Documentary ranks in the top 3 documentaries of all time next to 'Thin Blue Line' and 'Man on Wire'. Some people may dispute my top 3 list, however I will argue why I think that Dear Zachary is better than the other two. Thin Blue Line was notable for exonerating a man from a wrongful conviction. Man on Wire is a real life heist movie with an incredible story about the World Trade Towers in New York.Dear Zachary encompasses two themes that mirror the aforementioned and combine into a greater narrative: the story of an evil murderous woman who was never properly convicted and a story of several terrible crimes that went unpunished and lead to the exposure of major dysfunction in the Canadian justice/legal system. This documentary is not for the weak of heart but for those interested in the film aspects, it is evident that the filmmaker has made a painstaking effort to assemble footage in a way that hurt his very soul to share with you. A more honest documentary has never been made.

"Dear Zachary" rises above any documentary. It transcends all of them, and calling it a documentary almost seems to be an insult. And please don't read this review or any other review before watching it. Go in as blind as possible."Dear Zachary" is a film that Kurt Kuenne began making in 2001 after he received the news that one of his best friends, Andrew Bagby, had been murdered. Since it was made by one of the victim's best friends, it gives it a much more personal standpoint than the distant point of view of the normal documentary. He began it to learn about the things he'd never known about his friend, and to make "one last film with him", as a sort of tribute. And just like that, he set out to meet everyone that had ever cared for Andrew. However, as many events began to occur over the course of the film, it began to be about so much more, and of course when Andrew's murderer and ex- girlfriend, Shirley Turner, was announced pregnant, Kurt knew he would be making "A Letter to a Son About His Father".The way the film is structured and edited makes it very emotional and somewhat intense. Many relating interviews are inter-cut and sometimes the audio will be overlapping to show the universal experience people had with this man, and who he really was. It also makes the pace of the film overall very fast, but some interviews are so heart-rending that they seem to go on for very long. Oh, and that's another thing: this film is SAD. REALLY, REALLY SAD. This film will play your emotions like a flute. You will be angry, depressed, happy, melancholy, and then sad again. But it's also incredibly beautiful and inspiring in a way no film that I've seen has ever been before.The film shows the infuriating injustices in the court system and the government. And one big problem, among others, is how impersonal it is. The lawyer simply recites the most obscure laws to try and defend their client, with no real empathy for the victims. And since the judge doesn't seem to care much either, she simply allows this. Both of those positions possess a lot of power, but neither of them seem to realize what is on the line. They don't think about the lives behind the people in the court, and this leads to a serious abuse of their power. It makes me think too. When I see that a murder happened in the news, I simply say "that's awful" and move on with my day. I never thought about the families of the victims, or the people that he/she affected. This film is so much more than a tribute. And I'm not talking about the bits of political commentary in it. That's not what this film originally set out to do, and in the end of the day it's only really a side effect of what it really does. It not only made me think about others' lives more, and the people that care about them, but about me, and my own life. It made me think about the people I care about, and the people that care about me. It made me realize how many people each person affects, and how precious life really is, and how abruptly it can end. It's a morbid thought, but the people you love most could be gone tomorrow suddenly.I don't think a film will ever truly be able to tell the full story of a man's life, and who he was, and who he cared about and who cared about him, and why. But this is about as close as any film will ever get to doing that.

Dear Zachary attempts to reach the son of Andrew Bagby, a man who was murdered by his lover, Shirley, the woman who was pregnant with his son. The footage portraying Andrew Bagby proves to show how he was a man with a big heart and touched many of his friends' lives. Andrew probably had more friends in his adulthood than the average prom king would have had during his high school years.The events in this film are true as it is a documentary. The various interviews touch on Bagby's life, his death, what the interviewees want to say to his son and how the legal system needs to be reformed. Thus, as many documentaries do, this one touches on a wide variety of topics and themes while it tries to remain focused on one story as a whole. The problem is that a real story has many parts, many angles, many side stories that it needs to be represented differently than a fictional film. It is difficult to structure facts and interviews into a cohesive story with a three act structure. Details are thrown at you to digest, and some documentaries are less clear in their point than others. The documentary focusing on the Bagby's, however, keeps the viewer intrigued and leaves them heartbroken at points with tragic events (other than the death of Andrew).There is a clear "first act" with this film as it begins by detailing Andrew's death and how he touched others, but the second and third "acts" seem to blend together. It is unclear what the climax of this documentary was supposed to be as there are at least 2 or 3 moments of high interest which seem to bring different points across, but they are important points not matter how different they are. This documentary explores the true nature of love versus evil in interesting ways and should be viewed by people who are looking for a good cause to fight for.3.0/4.0