Stars: Andrew Bagby, Zachary Bagby
Director: Kurt Kuenne
Release Date: February 24, 2009
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
I watched this documentary sort of by accident a couple of years ago. I failed to update my Netflix queue after mailing off something or other, and before I realized my mistake, Netflix sent me what was next: Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father. I didn't even remember adding it to my queue in the first place, but there it was in my mailbox. I read over the short synopsis on the sleeve of the DVD and took a chance. It has now become one of my favorite documentaries to date.
Documentarion Kurt Kuenne made Dear Zachary directly following the murder of one of his best friends, Andrew Bagby. The shocking death is chronicled, but the purpose of the doc is to let Bagby's son (Zachary), who was born shortly after the murder, know exactly who his father was. Kuenne interviews Bagby's parents, friends, ex-fiances, co-workers - and everyone agrees that Bagby was a tremendous guy who wanted to help people, making his death even more tragic. Who would want to kill such a beloved man? The unfortunate answer is the mother of his only child. Her relationship with Bagby's parents and the struggle with custody over Zachary are also closely documented.
This is not one of my favorites because of its direction or cinematography. The sometimes irritating narration by Kuenne certainly doesn't help either. It's the story that makes this doc. Dear Zachary takes several twists and turns, one of which made me feel physically ill upon first viewing. In the end, however, I know that Kuenne wanted the viewer to walk away feeling somewhat okay with how everything turned out. And, I must say, the strength shown by Bagby's parents is remarkable and I commend them for their ability to be courteous to the woman who gunned down their only son. This strength is what we, as the audience, were meant to focus on in the end. But I can't say I turned off the DVD with a smile on my face. I couldn't focus on the somewhat forced uplifting ending because I was still lingering on some of the more upsetting moments that had occurred.
I know I'm not really selling Dear Zachary (especially for those who like lighter fair like Super Size Me or The King of Kong), but documentaries aren't Hollywood movies. Their endings can't be molded into the perfection that focus groups crave. Now, me, I'm in favor of movies with realistic endings and wish there were more of them out there. The boy doesn't always get the girl, the bad guy sometimes wins, and sometimes people die for no good reason and no real closure is granted. Even though I favor realistic endings in Hollywood movies, I wish that this documentary's ending could have been... different. I guarantee that you'll watch Dear Zachary and feel the same.
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