Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about His Father is one of the best documentaries of the last ten years, but it will absolutely wreck you.
[spoilers ahead]
The 2008 film by Kurt Kuenne is about how his close friend Andrew Bagby was murdered by his ex-girlfriend Shirley Jane Turner. That dark story took a much darker turner when, while Turner was out on bail (the story takes place in Canada, which has far more lenient bail laws than the U.S.), murdered their 13-month-old child Zachary before committing suicide. Kuenne then follows Andrew’s parents, David and Kathleen, who mounted a campaign to reform the country’s bail laws.
The movie is rough at points, but it’s supposed to be. It’s a raw, visceral, emotional experience, and I highly encourage people to watch it even though it’s not an easy movie to see.
A 14-minute sequel short [via Pajiba] has now been released that follows the film’s success on the festival circuit, how the movie created a real change in Canada’s laws, and how the film even stopped some people from wanting to commit suicide. This is the power of great art, and I highly recommend checking it out.
Once you’ve seen the film (it’s available on Netflix), watch the bittersweet epilogue below:
