A sad, but important documentary

"Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father"
Starring: Kurt Kuenne, Zachary Andrew, David Bagby, Kate Bagby, Andrew Bagby
***.5/****

Kurt Kuenne is a documentary film-maker who has made home movies ever since he was a kid. Growing up he had a close friend named Andrew Bagby, everyone loved Andrew, many adjectives could define the man. Their friendship remained intact as they reached adulthood. With "Dear Zachary," Kuenne has decided to document Andrew's life for his young son Zachary . For those who haven't heard of this true life story, I will briefly tell of it, so people can hopefully discover this film on their own.

Andrew Bagby was your average Joe, he came from a good family, most notably two lovable parents named David and Katherine. They raised Andrew to become the man he was up until his life was taken from him. The person who took his life was his ex-girlfriend Shirley Turner. Police later gathered evidence, but Shirley skipped town and went to Newfoundland where she was eventually able to walk freely without justice.

As Kuenne tells this powerful and heartbreaking story, he reveals portions of it slowly. He talks to a lot of Andrew's family, friends, and colleagues. The film runs only about 95 minutes, but will likely draw anyone in from the start.

As the film progresses, we found out that Shirley was eventually pregnant with Andrew's baby, most of the film is about the struggle of custody over Shirley and Andrew's parents to keep the child. As soon as we feel the story is predictable, another layer is revealed which I will not tell about.

This story is meant to be sought out, it's a film about ordinary people facing the daily grief and loss that makes us human. Kuenne has crafted a documentary about strong people, weak people, and the laws that connect us.

Seek "Dear Zachary" out at your own risk, the film will knock you out again and again.