This time of year is the perfect chance to get some serious binge-watching done, and Prime Video has plenty of great options to get into the holiday season. However, even though the holidays are in full swing, not everyone enjoys soaking up the cheery vibe of the season, so for those who are less invested in holiday cheer and are more interested in darker genres, like true crime, Prime Video has the perfect option: Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father.
Originally released back in 2008, Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father remains a true-crime documentary that is still stuck in a lot of viewers' minds. True-crime documentaries on streaming over the years have drawn people in with tales of seduction, scandal, and even outlandishly over-the-top stories that nearly seem impossible, but Dear Zachary is a product of a time when true-crime was a more grounded genre instead of the pop culture phenomenon that it has quickly turned into. Dear Zachary stands out as a heartfelt message to a young son caught up in unfair circumstances, and the result is a devastating documentary that handles its subjects with both respect and love.
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Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is Still One of the Most Heartfelt True-Crime Documentaries of All Time
After 28-year-old Dr. Andrew Bagby was found dead in 2001, the mystery of his death quickly points to his ex-girlfriend, Dr. Shirley Turner. With the evidence marking her as the primary suspect, Shirley flees to Canada, pregnant with Andrew's child. This kickstarts a story filled with intense twists and deep frustration. Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne, a longtime childhood friend of Andrew, decides to make a documentary for Andrew's child, so they can fully know who their father is. What starts off as a love letter to a child about their father quickly dissolves into something far more devastating as the case begins to unfold. The world isn't short on upsetting true-crime stories, but Dear Zachary is something else entirely.
MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father.
Dear Zachary's Story Collapses Into an Even Darker Nightmare
With Shirley living in Canada, she gives birth to Andrew's son, the titular Zachary. As the story continues, Andrew's parents begin a custody battle to try and become Zachary's legal guardians, but it never comes to fruition. Despite being accused of murder, Shirley is able to maintain custody of her son, and the consequences of the court's decision are dire. The meaning behind the documentary changes when Shirley ultimately kills her one-year-old son and herself in 2003. It's a moment that leaves a pit in viewers' stomachs, and what Kurt Kuenne once intended to be a message to Andrew's son suddenly turns into a way to honor Zachary's short life. It's a tragedy that is hard to truly fathom, as both father and son meet their end at the hands of someone who was supposed to be close to them. Stories of murder can sometimes leave people feeling desensitized to the subject, especially when binge-watching such tragic content, but Dear Zachary is a reminder that these are real people who face fates that no one should meet.
Dear Zachary is a hard watch, but it's also a must-see for true-crime lovers who want to see a documentary handled in one of the most respectful ways possible. Movies on Prime Video can be hits or misses, but Dear Zachary is a deeply meaningful portrayal of a father and son that never got to meet. The world of true-crime has evolved a lot since 2008, but Dear Zachary remains one of the best films in the genre.