Get ready to cry your eyes out, scream in anger, but also rejoice at the powerful love that exists in our world. We will not spoiler the premise of this documentary and urge you not to do so yourself. Instead, we recommend watching it and prepare to be changed forever. Call it true crime if you will, but this documentary is much more. Hailed as one of the most important documentaries of the 2000s, it is a testament to friendship and love, a real-life thriller, and a political denouncement all in one.
"Dear Zachary earns its right to engage us on a primal level, but it comes on the heels of so many films that don't, movies that...prey on modern fears and inflate third-rate material to the plane of tragedy."
— David Edelstein
"What begins as a poignant tribute to filmmaker Kurt Kuenne's dead best friend snowballs into a gut-wrenching true-crime story."
— Peter Debruge
In 2001, Andrew Bagby, a medical resident, is murdered not long after breaking up with his girlfriend. Soon after, when she announces she's pregnant, one of Andrew's many close friends, Kurt Kuenne, begins this film, a gift to the child.
Honestly a great movie. I can’t say anything without spoiling it but you never really know where the movie is going next.
Kurt Kuenne stuck with 4:3 aspect ratio which was a great choice since all his old material has it. It really blends in and at some point you forget what was filmed 20 years ago and what was filmed around the millennium. Pay attention to the way it was edited and paced. For me, those aspects make this documentary so outstanding. Last but not least, the way he uses sound to underline a statement or a scene is remarkable.
I thought I was one of those people that never cry until I watched this movie. I think everyone should watch it, but no one should rewatch it. But yeah, EVERYONE should watch it.
It will ruin you forever but you have to watch it.
The best documentary ever made, full of heart, love and sorrow.
Very good movie! I found the scenes/narratives of the trials/hearings progress difficult to follow. It was spoken very quickly.
Other than that it’s a very powerful movie. It moved me a lot.
Nods … yes, everyone should watch this movie. It is a tale of love. Love between friends, parents, children and the fact that certain people stay in your heart forever.
I wanted to be friends with all of Andrew’s friends. And in acknowledgement of the hearts of good parents, you will most certainly fall in love with Kate and David. Most memorable line came from Kurt: “You still have children.” I have cried every time I watched it, not a waste of tears or emotion.
If I had to explain the experience of watching this movie in a sentence, I would say this movie broke me and then built me back up. It shows the best and worst things people are capable of. In the end, it’s a story about love and the power of it, even when we’re long gone.