I cannot praise this heartfelt documentary enough. Too often documentaries with such a personal tie have touch (or more) of vanity. Not Dear Zachary.
Kurt Kuenne could have easily turn this tribute to a dead friend into a vanity project, or overly sentimental. The evolution of this project is full of sentiment, indeed, but is done so in such a way that the viewer is completely engaged in the story and feels the loss on a personal level.
This is the hardest film to review because to explain it, is to spoil the experience of it. Let's just say that Andrew Bagby was a very loved person, and this tribute to a man whose life was brutally cut short could have easily been a depressing, dark tale. Instead, while it has some wrenching moments, it's ultimately a love story of family and friends, and the powerful influence people can have in each others lives, for good and for ill.
If you have the opportunity to catch this film, do not hesitate to do it. This is one I'm adding to my DVD collection as soon as it's available.
Kurt Kuenne could have easily turn this tribute to a dead friend into a vanity project, or overly sentimental. The evolution of this project is full of sentiment, indeed, but is done so in such a way that the viewer is completely engaged in the story and feels the loss on a personal level.
This is the hardest film to review because to explain it, is to spoil the experience of it. Let's just say that Andrew Bagby was a very loved person, and this tribute to a man whose life was brutally cut short could have easily been a depressing, dark tale. Instead, while it has some wrenching moments, it's ultimately a love story of family and friends, and the powerful influence people can have in each others lives, for good and for ill.
If you have the opportunity to catch this film, do not hesitate to do it. This is one I'm adding to my DVD collection as soon as it's available.