A slick account of ancient crevices in the human psyche rendered in cutting-edge cinematic style.
Comment
11/20/08
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
97 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 36
Fresh: 35
Rotten:1
Average Rating: 8.1/10
Consensus: Dear Zachary is a both a touching tribute to a fallen friend and a heart-wrenching account of justice gone astray, skillfully put to film with no emotion spared.
Theatrical Release: Oct 31, 2008 Limited
Synopsis: When Kurt Kuenne's childhood friend Andrew Bagby is murdered, he sets out to make a documentary showing Andrew's infant son, Zachary, what his father was like. But there's a twisted wrinkle to this story: Andrew's likely murderer is the... [More]
Director: Kurt Kuenne
Reviews for Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
The most emotionally powerful film of 2008... as deeply personal as any film you will ever see.
11/19/08
While it truly is a sad tale of friendship and loss, it is far more unexpected, anguished and absolutely sincere. You may see it coming, but you will feel the emotional impact that will haunt you for days.
11/10/08
An emotional roller-coaster of a movie, one that touches your heart and brings you to tears in some scenes, then enrages you in others.
11/10/08
A manipulative, tearjerking thriller that, functioning as a sustained, anguished primal scream, is as emotionally devastating as any film, fiction or non-, released this year.
11/09/08
This is one of the most emotionally transparent films ever made, and its gallery of heroes and villains trumps most of what you'll see in a multiplex this year.
11/09/08
An undeniably shattering story, if forgivably shaky in its impassioned, therapeutic unfolding.
11/07/08
Top Critic Kuenne uses ingenious montages and judicious pacing tactics to drive through reams of evidence, legal codes and other data that, in most documentaries, would leave viewers' eyes glazed over.
11/07/08
Dear Zachary is a very difficult film to review or rate. This video missive from a man to his murdered friend's son is harrowing and heartfelt but also overemphatic. It seems cruel to criticize a loving, low-budget video production, but the fact is
11/07/08
This is a North American tragedy not of epic proportion, but of a deeply personal one.
11/06/08
Flaws aside, Dear Zachary is an impressive piece of work that easily ranks as one of the year's best documentaries.
11/06/08
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.
11/03/08
It is impossible not to be fired up by Kurt Kuenne's incendiary cri de coeur, Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father.
10/31/08
Top CriticLatest News for Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About...
October 20, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review 
More...
June 25, 2008:
MSNBC Getting Into Documentary Biz
The MSNBC network has launched a film imprint, the sensibly titled MSNBC Films, to finance documentaries and help the news network break into the movie business. More...
Related Forums for Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His...
(2008/Docu)-"DEAR ZACHARY: a letter to a son about his father" opens on October 31st!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 11/4
by: REEL_REVIEWER 11/4
(2008/Docu)-"DEAR ZACHARY: a letter to a son about his father" opens on October 31st!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 11/4
by: REEL_REVIEWER 11/4
(2008/Docu)-"DEAR ZACHARY: a letter to a son about his father" opens on October 31st!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 11/4
by: REEL_REVIEWER 11/4
(2008/Docu)-"DEAR ZACHARY: a letter to a son about his father" opens on October 31st!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 11/4
by: REEL_REVIEWER 11/4
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