The Gits (2005)

I wasn't familiar with the Gits other than that they were based in Seattle and Mia Zapata, their lead singer, was murdered.  This documentary draws you in and makes you feel for Mia and the friends she left behind.

The film focuses on who Mia Zapata was rather than on her demise.  There are interviews with family, band members, and friends who all paint a picture of Mia as a kind, empathetic person who everyone loved.  A girl who was shy and gawky, but shined when she got on stage.

Friends and band members laughingly recall her awkwardness, yet have such affection for her so many years later that you can tell how much she touched their lives.  Her fathers remarks are particularly moving.

There is a lot of footage of Mia singing.  Even those who never met her or were never fans of the band will sense a feeling of loss at what might have been if she had lived.  The film includes video, photographs, and the recollections of people still moved by someone they will always miss.

Although she was murdered in 1993, the case went unsolved until ten years later when they were able to match DNA from the crime scene to a man who had recently had his DNA added to the national database.

And for anyone wondering, their name was based on the Monty Python skit involving Sniveling Little Rat Faced Git. (I know that sketch is what I always think of when I hear the word git).