Better late than never comes to mind right now... I turned this deeply emotional and raw movie on and at first almost turned it off prematurely. I thought the concept of it was wonderful but almost too lovey dovey. Then that changed significantly. This movie hurt, not in a literal sense, but brought up some real emotions I forget about or at least neglect to acknowledge. I was one of the lucky ones. Taken from an abusive father just after my first birthday and he was incarcerated and kept in jail for the things he had done, not only to me but to others. I was protected, cared for by an incredible foster home and adopted by my incredible parents. The system didn't fail me like it often does for the defenseless. I am so sorry this happened to you. My uncontrollable tears are frustrating as I write this but nonetheless important and inspiring. I've worked in youth advocacy for the last 8 1/2 years and this is another reminder to me why I do this work and what an impact it makes on my daily life. To everyone in this film, especially Kate and David, thank you for everything you did and do. Thank you for making this film and making real change. I will pass it forward and remember to always be an advocate for those we have failed. You are stronger and more resilient than most in this word. You did everything. Love from Chicago.

This Documentary ranks in the top 3 documentaries of all time next to 'Thin Blue Line' and 'Man on Wire'. Some people may dispute my top 3 list, however I will argue why I think that Dear Zachary is better than the other two. Thin Blue Line was notable for exonerating a man from a wrongful conviction. Man on Wire is a real life heist movie with an incredible story about the World Trade Towers in New York.Dear Zachary encompasses two themes that mirror the aforementioned and combine into a greater narrative: the story of an evil murderous woman who was never properly convicted and a story of several terrible crimes that went unpunished and lead to the exposure of major dysfunction in the Canadian justice/legal system. This documentary is not for the weak of heart but for those interested in the film aspects, it is evident that the filmmaker has made a painstaking effort to assemble footage in a way that hurt his very soul to share with you. A more honest documentary has never been made.

This documentary from one uncle to his nephew manages to create one of the most heartwarming and heart-wrenching films. It makes you cry, smile, and get extremely angry. The film uses a lot of dramatic tricks to dramatize the emotions of a scene, but what sells the film is the genuine emotions displayed. When watching this documentary, the insane drive the director had to tell the story of his best friend is constantly on display. It stands as a testament to the idea that every life influences 20 others. If the emotional aspects of the film are the core of the documentary, then the crime thriller element is the outer shell. This documentary's true crime story exterior helps take an already compelling film and make it captivating. Especially if you don't know the outcomes of the film before going in, watching this story unravel piece by piece is a journey. This film came from such a personal place for the director so the recounts of each new wrinkle in the story feel like they are coming from a witness with stakes in the story rather than just a film maker who makes the film from an outside perspective. It's true crime drama at its most compelling. This is one of the best documentaries i've seen in years. It pulls you in by your heart strings only to punch you in the gut. Prepare a box of tissues and watch this film.

This documentary is a thing of beauty. I fancied watching a true crime documentary so I googled the top documentaries to watch and this came up as an option. It is quite different to any other true crime documentary I have seen as it focuses heavily on the emotional side of things. I almost turned it off after 10 minutes as I wasn't really in the mood for what I could tell was going to be a tearjerker but I'm glad I stuck with it. I think it is best to just watch Dear Zachary without reading too much into it so I won't go into any more detail for this review but all I can say is it touched me like no documentary ever has.