Review of Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008) by Maria J — 29 Mar 2016

You will cry a lot- I don't care who you are, you will cry and you will be sad forever and ever after seeing this.

You might think I'm exaggerating (and I wish I was) but, no, unfortunately this film will leave you as but a shell of your former self. Nonetheless, the story told here and the impact that it has is something that can have a profound impact on you- again, as long as you accept that you will cry a lot. Seriously.

This is a brutal film- far more so than any slasher film or anything like that. This is all real and there's no emotion spared- anger, hatred, spite, everything is there. To see these human beings open their hearts in such an honest way is a powerful experience and it's really the silver-lining to this horribly sad tale.

It's hard to recommend this just because of how upsetting it is but I'm going to anyway- Dear Zachary is one of the most powerful and visceral films that I've ever seen. For better or for worse, if you watch this- you will never forget it.