Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father - A Chilling Look Into the Depths of Humanity

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)

It is always hard when a movie is talked about more for the impact it will have on the viewer than the substance the film itself. I am reminded of the acclaim given to the film The Exorcist which I believe, as does Jay Bauman of Red Letter Media, hurt its appeal to modern audiences in that the moniker that it is the scariest film ever made gives a false impression of what the movie will be to modern audiences who might expect a movie filled jump scares as compared to a slow moving drama about faith, guilt, and innocence. Similarly, whenever I have seen Dear Zachary discussed it is always said that this movie is crushing and will tear your heart out, but all this bluster about the result of the movie gave me no real impression of what the movie was actually about. Additionally, as someone who is a contrarian at heart whenever I see reactions such as this that are uniform it motivates a part of me to go the other way. However, I cannot disagree here, this movie is everything that has already been said and there may not be words to describe the grief this movie tries to convey since it is so endless in its despair.

In terms of the content of the movie it follows documentary filmmaker Kurt Kuenne who goes on a road trip to learn all that he can about his murdered friend Andrew Bagby. Going beyond what could be accomplished in a simple Dateline or 20/20 episode Kurt ingratiates himself with those that he interviews showing up to wherever they live and even sharing a beer with them while they discuss their common friendship with Andrew. This movie offers an intimate portrait of the victim such that all can gain an appreciation of the person that he was and the impact that he had on the world on a deeper level than could be offered on the above listed TV shows since the interviewer here has a personal stake in the circumstances being discussed.

The film goes further still when Kurt interviews David and Kathleen, Andrew's parents, who detail the grief they experienced when their son was murdered and the turmoil the ensuing investigation and legal drama had on them. The film offers a strong indictment of the Canadian justice system whose faults, blind spots, and constant delay contributed to a preventable tragedy. While these faults at first seem to be being painted with a cartoonish brush with its mostly one sided view of the trial this is given new light toward the film's end which make the viewer understand why such a slanted and vitriolic approach was taken.

I do not want to discuss the content of the film in depth for two reasons. First, this is a movie which deserves to be seen with as little information as possible going to ensure the story has the full impact needed to give proper context to Andrew's parents actions later in the movie. Second, the events that transpire within this film are so heinous and inconceivable that it is not something I would enjoy contending with aside from saying that it was heartbreaking and that I support the efforts of the grandparents to get whatever justice they could while also trying to prevent such circumstance from occurring ever again.

I have decided against including the trailer for this film as it is one that deserves to be seen with an open mind. I must warn though that you be in a good state of mind before watching this movie as it is heavily distressing, but it is worth seeing none the less to ensure those forces which sought to extinguish certain elements from the world do not succeed in that endavour.