Director Geeta Gandbhir’s new Netflix documentary The Perfect Neighbor, which was scooped up from Sundance earlier this year for $5 million, has quickly climbed to the top of the streamer’s global charts this weekend. It’s currently sitting at #1, ahead of KPop Demon Hunters and The Woman in Cabin 10.
Seen almost entirely through police bodycam footage and CCTV footage, The Perfect Neighbor follows the tragic 2023 killing of Ajike “AJ” Owens, a mother of four, by her neighbor, Susan Lorincz, in Ocala, Florida. What began as petty neighborhood complaints about kids playing on “private property” quickly spiraled into a horrifying confrontation. Yes, Gandbhir’s film is the kind that gets people talking and arguing on social media, and, yes, probably rethinking who they actually live next to.
The documentary doesn’t just recount the tragedy, however. It shows you all of those impacted by the events, forcing you to sit through the entire thing. There’s no narrator here, no dramatic reenactments with actors, no clever cutaways to experts explaining the events. It’s just raw footage. It’s uncomfortable and very real.
Critics have called the film “gripping,” “powerful,” and “revolutionary.” Collider’s Emma Kiely described it as “one of the most compelling documents of how inherently dangerous it is for Black people to exist in America today.” On Rotten Tomatoes, it’s sitting at a flawless 100%, which is pretty rare for any film, let alone a Netflix documentary.
When the streaming network premiered The Perfect Neighbor, it jumped into 3rd place in just 24 hours. Now it’s taken the crown.
It’s not an easy watch, sure, and maybe it shouldn’t be, but Owens’s story isn’t a sensationalized mystery to be solved. Instead, it’s a reflection of what happens when prejudice and flawed systems collide. Gandbhir doesn’t offer answers or resolutions. All you’re left with are more questions about why this actually happened.
The Perfect Neighbor is streaming now on Netflix.
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