Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)

April 27, 2023 12:01 PM

In 2001, Andrew Bagby, a medical resident, is murdered not long after breaking up with his girlfriend. Soon after, when she announces she’s pregnant, one of Andrew’s many close friends, Kurt Kuenne, begins this documentary, a gift to the child.

94% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Currently streaming on Amazon Prime, Hoopla, Kanopy, and Showtime. JustWatch listing.

posted by DirtyOldTown (7 comments total)

This is the kind of true crime through a personable documentarian's voice thing that is all the rage these days, but it also has twists and turns to go with the most shocking and lurid entries in the genre.

And yes, it's desperately sad.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:17 PM on April 27, 2023

Here in the spoiler-permitted comments, I will note that the person who killed Bagby was his girlfriend, and she murdered the baby as part of her own suicide during filming.
posted by praemunire at 1:43 PM on April 27, 2023

Jesus this was a whole lot darker than I expected when I clicked the link to learn more.
posted by miss-lapin at 3:08 PM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]

It goes from cemetery on a sunny day (sad, but manageable, understandable), then dark clouds pull overhead, then the sun just blinks out entirely. It's dark and bleak and sad.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 3:14 PM on April 27, 2023 [1 favorite]

A while back my wife and I were watching highly rated documentaries, and we both went into this one without knowing anything about it.

That... was a mistake. What an unrelentingly sad film.
posted by Paragon at 5:18 PM on April 27, 2023

disbelief

few films have stunned me like this documentary
posted by elkevelvet at 1:29 PM on April 28, 2023

I picked this up years ago on a whim, and my husband wandered in at some point and was so captivated he sat down to watch as well. When the final twists hit, we were both left sobbing on the couch.

It’s probably the most gripping documentary I’ve ever seen, but it’s also one I recommend to nobody because the twist is so essential and horrific. It’s been years and I still think about and send good wishes to the families involved.
posted by lilac girl at 8:20 PM on April 28, 2023 [3 favorites]