Dear Zachary
Dear Zachary is one of the most powerful
documentaries I have ever seen. It takes the viewer on a journey through some
many different twists and turns, taking them through some really dark moments,
but at the end, restoring their faith in humanity. Dear Zachary is a film that is about the murder of Andrew Bagby,
his ex-girlfriend who murdered him, and the family’s grief, all for Andrew’s
child, Zachary.
The
documentary is made as a memoir of Andrew for Zachary. Kurt, the man behind the
entire film, is the one telling the story. He is one of Andrew’s close
childhood friends. The two grew up together and Kurt is considered to be part
of the Bagby family. Kurt tells Zach (and the viewer) that the point of the
film is to let Zach know everything there is to know about his father, Andrew.
Kurt narrates the film and directs his narration towards Zachary. After hearing
about Andrew’s death, Kurt travels the country to visit friends and family of
Andrew to gather all of this information. The viewer, along with Zach, is taken
on Kurt’s journey. Since the film is made in the point of view of Kurt, the
best friend of Andrew and a close family friend, the viewer is thrown in to the
center of deep, raw emotion. Since the film is made by someone who is so close
to Andrew, it has an extra sense of purpose and emotion. The viewer can see
through the interviews and narration the struggle of every single person
interviewed and we witness Kurt’s pain as well.
The power
in this film is phenomenal. The focal point of the story is the legal battle
over Zachary between Andrew’s parents and Andrew’s killer and ex-girlfriend,
Shirley. Kurt does a good job exposing the holes of the government and the
legal system and helps break down the case easily (after all, this film is made
for a child). But towards the end of the film, just as the viewer believes that
things should swing in favor of the Bagby family, the main focus of the film,
Zachary, is murdered by Shirley. The viewer is left in a lost space because it
seems like the film has lost its entire purpose. If Zachary is gone, then why
was the film still made? It is here where Kurt reveals his true purpose for
documenting the story in its entirety. At the center of it all, the two people
most affected by the deaths and the two people who fought their hardest to keep
Zachary alive, were Andrew’s parents. The viewer then learns that after the
murders, Andrew’s parents had become activists and helped fixed the flawed
system that allowed for the murders to happen. They published a national best
seller and helped spread their story. Kurt made this film as a testament to
them. The film shows the power of unconditional love of parents and how hard
they fight to make things right.
I didn’t
realize how moving Dear Zachary was
going to be when I originally started watching, but from the beginning, I was
hooked. The viewer establishes a relationship right away with Andrew’s parents,
and we follow their journey just like it’s our own, and suffer right along side
them. This film does a great job of documenting such a heartbreaking story but
ending on a heartwarming, fulfilling note.
Still:
Andrew's parents and Zachary's grandparents.
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