Customer Reviews

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I watched this film the last time they showed it on MSNBC. It has an agenda that becomes apparent towards the end. For the most part however it is a devastating look into the lives of a family that has been through hell. I am a 27 year old construction worker and consider myself to be emotionally sound. That being said, this movie made me cry almost continually. You can't help but feel so much empathy for the principal characters. I would be leery of anybody who didn't tear up when watching this movie. If you don't cry for these people you are incapable of feeling for others. It's that powerful.

I have never seen a documentary have such an impact on me. The Justice system that failed Zachary's grandparents, and Zachary, was a travesty gone wrong in every possible way. I never saw such ludicrous laws that allowed this to happen. I spent 25 years working in Federal Corrections and worked with virtually every LEA in our country. Kurt poured out his heart and soul to this child and did so without holding anything back, telling Zachary the truth about everything. Several of us were discussing it and we're still in a state of disbelief that this could happen. My heart goes out to Andrew's parents and his co-workers at the hospital, who loved him like a brother. Justice has been served but it took a difficult battle to get the laws changed, to ensure this never happens again.

Because it will haunt you. I read reviews, wikipedia articles, Amazon, etc.. and I still wasn't prepared for the emotional 90 minute roller coaster this film sends me on. If you have children, young or old, it hits 5x harder. If you have friends that you grew up with, this will hit hard. Just a great film about a tribute to a friend, a tribute to a great set of parents, and the impact one man can have. Everyone should see this film.

I just saw this movie yesterday and have been telling people all day that they absolutely MUST see this fantastic movie, and at the same time they should not subject themselves to this torture. This movie is not heart-wrenching, it's heart-slaughtering.

First of all, as many others have said, go in as ignorant as possible. The less you know, the better.

Second, keep the tissues on hand because you will cry...a lot...and probably from the start.

Third, try to watch it in the middle of the day on a weekend when you don't have much left to do, so that you are not expected to be remotely productive for awhile.

Finally, just be prepared to get emotionally destroyed. This is one of the best movies I've ever seen, and I love that I think my life is better for knowing this story, but there are certain things that you can never un-know. Once you've seen this movie, you're stuck with it.

I knew nothing about this story and I recommend that no one reads too much about this documentary so they get the full impact. I was doing hair extensions on a client and she had this on last night. I cried the majority of the time and my stomach flipped and knees went out when I was standing in her living room 2/3 of the way through. I am so horrified by how the legal system failed.

Emotional, bittersweet, beautiful, then horrifying, and enraging-- all wrapped up into one 90 minute documentary. This is one of the most powerful films I've ever seen and it's the next day... I still haven't shaken it off.

The Bagbys are the strongest people I've ever seen. I would have jumped off a bridge by now if I'd have gone through the things they have. God bless that entire family.

This movie is not only moving, but life changing. I am pretty sure I haven't cried this much in a long time. Everyone should see this, it will change the way you look at the world around you. You always see and hear about people going through these types of tragedies, but this gave me a glimpse into how truely hard it is.

Do yourself a favor, and buy this DVD without reading too much about the plot. I know that's asking for an awful lot of faith, but it pays off in spades. I bought this on a friend's recommendation that consisted of, "A guy makes a documentary about his friend who got murdered". Therefore, every single twist, turn, and plot-development hit my wife and I in the pits of our stomachs. What a tragic story of courage and grace in the face of DISASTER. We love you, Bagbys!!

Most documentaries fail when they can't stay objective; not true with Dear Zachary.

When a friend is murdered, a filmmaker decides to make a tribute to his life. But that's only the beginning in this story of how many lifes we touch. It's best not seen without knowing too much of the story, and you will find yourself trying to find others who've seen it to talk about.

It's like sitting down for a chat with a stranger, and the conversation turns to a personal story so moving it feels like you're experiencing it, and suddenly it's a part of you. Your family becomes bigger as your heart breaks. The world becomes a much bigger place, and you feel connected to everything, and feel the loss of what's missing.

It's best if you don't learn more about the story before seeing it. Kuenne documentary is a tribute, a work of art, and a call to action.

A brilliant work that tells a truly compelling and amazing story that is riveting from start to finish. If you don't get emotional or shed tears watching this, you need to be checked for a pulse! One of the best documentaries I've ever seen. You Must See it!

On day I was talking to my coworker about why evil things happen in the world and how people can hurt others and not even think twice about it. We decided that sometimes evil happens in the world to show how loving and compassionate people can be and how evil sometimes brings out so much good in others. That is what this movie meant to me.

I caught it by chance on MSNBC flipping through the channels and something about it struck me and I wanted to keep watching it. I thought it was going to a typical true crime drama but I was so wrong. It's the story of how one woman took so much from so many people and caused so much hurt and pain. I can't imagine the pain this family must have felt and I don't want to give too much away because I think you should go into this movie not knowing the whole story and just watch it unfold. But everyone who knew this man, this child and this family took something so awful and pushed through their own pain to make something good for people so that this will not ever happen again. You will get angry, you will cry your eyes out but I hope when you watch this movie the thing you will take away is the love that poured out from everyone's heart. I hope it calls you to action.

The thing I also like is that the issues regarding the criminal case are so matter of fact. I felt the director never went out of his way to villify (sp?) the criminal. You just see for yourself how unjust everything was. The other thing is that these people seem so ordinary that they could be your neighbors or someone you knew. Just ordinary people who had this tradgedy thrust upon them and made the best out of it. You see the hurt and the pain and the anger but also their determination to help and protect others. What they went through to see Zachary... to choose to love their grandchild more then hate his mother to be with him... I don't know if I could do that.

I would recommend watching this film but have a box of Kleenex ready.