Review of Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008) by Jacob H — 04 May 2016

1. My overall impression of the documentary Dear Zachery filmed by Kurt Kuenne is mind blowing. The documentary itself is very real and hard to watch if you have a good heart. My impression is difficult to comprehend because of the power of the story that moved my emotions to a whole other level. This doc is truly something that I have never watched before and have never felt so strongly towards. Andrews's story brought me into a whole other world of the reality of the real world and the people in it.

2. The title of the film Dear Zachery, released in 2008 means all what it says. This film is about a heartwarming physician who is brutally murdered by his psychotic girlfriend Shirley. Shirley Turner ends up being pregnant and delivers a child that looks insanely like his dead father. The parents of Andrew are outraged and fight to gain custody of the child, but after a twisted court case the judge decides to release the girlfriend from jail time and she bails. Who will get dear Zachery?

3. The interviews were memorable, short and informational. The only thing I didn't necessary like was the way the director mixed all the interviews together and you could hear different people's voices together in some parts of the documentary. What I did like in the interviews was how people who were interviewed did not shy away from their strong emotions and let it be known during the interviews. The interviews were very important throughout the doc. Also the interviews let you see someone else tell the same story but in a different light. Without them the documentary would just be a bunch of pictures.

4. The film techniques used in the documentary flowed with the plot well. The way the director Kurt Kuenne used quick shots and out of control camera angles flowed well with the plot of the documentary. I enjoyed the director's use of recordings throughout the documentary as well as his use of many old footage from family or friends that he put into the doc. The music only made the documentary seem that much more real. For example, sometimes you would hear the thumping of a heart in the documentary that made it feel like your own heart was beating in anticipation or worriedness that you felt for Andrew, Zachery or the parents. I liked the way the director intertwined the multiple interviews cross cut together to emphasize the story.

5. The story itself is told to a T. It's hard to screw up a true story, but a story like this can be told in multiple ways. Kurt Kuenne did a fantastic job and really lured me into diving head first in this heartbreakingly true story. I loved how Kurt wanted to dedicate this film to Andrew that touched my heart. Zachery and Andrew's story will never be forgotten.

6. This film/documentary not only touched my heart, but my soul. This documentary made me realize that the world isn't a fairytale. The world is real and the people in it are real too. If you just watch this documentary than you would see that stealing away a single life can affect not only you but everyone around you too. This documentary is what the real world is like and it tears you apart.