Wikipedia

The Perfect Neighbor

The Perfect Neighbor
Promotional poster
Directed byGeeta Gandbhir
Produced by
  • Alisa Payne
  • Geeta Gandbhir
  • Nikon Kwantu
  • Sam Bisbee
CinematographyAlfredo De Lara
Edited byViridiana Lieberman
Music byLaura Heinzinger
Production
companies
Distributed byNetflix
Release dates
  • January 24, 2025 (2025-01-24) (Sundance)
  • October 10, 2025 (2025-10-10)
Running time
97 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Perfect Neighbor is a 2025 American documentary film directed and produced by Geeta Gandbhir about the killing of Ajike Owens, a shooting incident on June 2, 2023 where a white woman, Susan Louise Lorincz, fatally shot Owens, her female black neighbor, in Ocala, Florida.

The film is told in chronological order with limited narration, mostly using pre-existing police footage such as bodycams', and follows both the lead-up to the killing, the incident itself and its aftermath, from the neighborhood disputes eventually escalating into the killing to Lorincz's conviction for manslaughter, among other charges. As the killing itself did, the film notably questions the systemic bias in how Florida's stand-your-ground laws are applied.

The film had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, where it won the Directing Award.[2][3] It had a limited theatrical release in the U.S. on October 10, prior to streaming globally on Netflix on October 17. It received widespread acclaim for its production, direction and editing, and its effective questioning of the circumstances surrounding Owens' death and similar incidents.

Premise

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On June 2, 2023, in Ocala, Florida, Ajike "AJ" Shantrell Owens was shot and killed by Susan Lorincz.[4] The film explores disputes leading up to the shooting by using bodycam footage.[5] It includes footage from a selection of the multiple times that deputies from the Marion County Sheriff's Office responded to: calls from Lorincz in 2022 and 2023; a call from an auto repair operator in March 2023, after Lorincz repeatedly rammed her pickup truck into the gate at his workplace; a visit by Lorincz to report her complaints in person at the Sheriff's Office in May 2023; the multiple 911 calls, including from Lorincz, when she shot Owens on June 2 2023; and Lorincz being questioned by Sheriff's detectives at the station. Sheriff's Office footage from the next few days, such as Lorincz retrieving items from her house, and from her further interviews at the Sheriff's Office, is included.

Production

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The victim, Ajike Owens, was the best friend of director Geeta Gandbhir's sister-in-law. Concerned that Susan Lorincz would use the stand-your-ground law, Gandbhir's partner and fellow producer Nikon Kwantu went to Florida and began documenting and filming the case.[6][7]

Release

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The film had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2025.[2][3] It also screened at South by Southwest on March 9, 2025.[8][9] In February 2025, Netflix was reportedly in final negotiations to acquire the film for $5 million.[10][11] The deal was finalized in March 2025, with Netflix planning to release the documentary later that year.[12] It later went live on Netflix in October of 2025, where it held the position of most watched movie in the U.S. within days of its release. Soledad O'Brien served as an executive producer.

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 99% of 82 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "As gripping as it is deeply unsettling, The Perfect Neighbor lays bare the systemic failures and the quiet terror embedded in American legal systems with surgical precision."[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 84 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[14]

Writing for RogerEbert.com, critic Jourdain Searles gave the film three out of four stars and wrote that the title is "so unassuming that even the most casual viewer can guess how harrowing the film they’re about to see will be" and goes on to say that the film is "good" but that systemic change would be "better."[15] Robert Abele of Los Angeles Times wrote that "while The Perfect Neighbor is, on the most visceral level, a documentary horror film built with police footage, it also reveals how a violent tragedy can be unwittingly manifested by unchecked grievance and a law that weaponizes white fear more than it guards anyone's peace."[16]

Accolades

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Award / Film Festival Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Sundance Film Festival February 2, 2025 Grand Jury Prize – U.S. Documentary Competition The Perfect Neighbor Nominated [17]
Directing Award: U.S. Documentary Geeta Gandbhir Won
CPH:DOX March 30, 2025 F:ACT Award: Special Mention The Perfect Neighbor Won [18]
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards November 9, 2025 Best Documentary Feature Won [19]
Best True Crime Documentary Won
Best Archival Documentary Won
Best Director Geeta Gandbhir Won
Best Score Laura Heinzinger Nominated
Best Editing Viridiana Lieberman Won
Gotham Independent Film Awards December 1, 2025 Best Documentary Feature Geeta Gandbhir, Sam Bisbee, Nikon Kwantu, and Alisa Payne Pending [20]
Cinema Eye Honors January 8, 2026 Outstanding Non-Fiction Feature Geeta Gandbhir, Alisa Payne, Nikon Kwantu, Sam Bisbee, Viridiana Lieberman, Laura Heinzinger, and Felipe Messeder Pending [21]
Outstanding Direction Geeta Gandbhir Pending
Outstanding Editing Viridiana Lieberman Pending
Audience Choice Prize The Perfect Neighbour Pending

References

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  1. ^ "The Perfect Neighbor (15)". British Board of Film Classification. September 30, 2025. Archived from the original on October 15, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  2. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 11, 2024). "Sundance 2025: JLo, Sly Stone, Putin, Ayo Edebiri, André Holland, & Ex-NZ PM Jacinda Ardern Films Among Park City Festival Offerings". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "The Perfect Neighbor". Sundance Film Festival. Archived from the original on January 15, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  4. ^ Terrifying Truth Behind Netflix's 'The Perfect Neighbor' - Law&Crime Network on YouTube
  5. ^ Gorber, Jason (February 1, 2025). "The Perfect Neighbor Review: A Microcosm of a Violent America". POV Magazine. Archived from the original on February 2, 2025. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  6. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (January 25, 2025). "Soledad O'Brien on Exposing the 'Chaos' of Stand-Your-Ground Laws With Sundance Doc 'The Perfect Neighbor': 'These Make It Easier to Kill People. Period'". Variety. Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  7. ^ ""Something Dangerous is Always Lurking Just Beneath the Surface" Geeta Gandbhir, The Perfect Neighbor". Filmmaker. January 24, 2025. Archived from the original on January 24, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  8. ^ "The Perfect Neighbor". South by Southwest. Archived from the original on January 24, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  9. ^ Hailu, Selome; B. Vary, Adam (January 25, 2025). "SXSW 2025 Lineup: Seth Rogen's 'The Studio,' Jenna Ortega Comedy 'Death of a Unicorn,' Nicole Kidman Thriller 'Holland' Among World Premieres". Variety. Archived from the original on January 22, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  10. ^ Lang, Brent; Rubin, Rebecca (February 6, 2025). "Netflix Nearing $5 Million Deal for 'Perfect Neighbor,' Sundance Documentary About Florida's Stand Your Ground Law". Variety. Archived from the original on February 6, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  11. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr; D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 6, 2025). "Netflix In Talks For Sundance Documentary 'The Perfect Neighbor'". Archived from the original on February 6, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  12. ^ Carey, Matthew (March 10, 2025). "Netflix Finalizes Acquisition Of Sundance Prize Winner 'The Perfect Neighbor'; Plans 2025 Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 10, 2025. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  13. ^ "The Perfect Neighbor". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  14. ^ "The Perfect Neighbor". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  15. ^ "The Perfect Neighbor movie review (2025) | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2025. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
  16. ^ Abele, Robert (October 10, 2025). "Review: In 'The Perfect Neighbor' doc, a crime brews for months with the potency of a horror movie". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 10, 2025. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  17. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 31, 2025). "'Atropia' Takes U.S. Grand Jury Prize Dramatic At Sundance Film Festival: Full Winners List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  18. ^ Andersen, Bjørn (March 28, 2025). "CPH:DOX 2025 announces award winners". CPH:DOX. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  19. ^ Davis, Clayton (October 14, 2025). "'Orwell: 2+2=5' and 'The Perfect Neighbor' Lead Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  20. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (October 28, 2025). "Gotham Awards Film Nominations: 'One Battle After Another' Leads Pack; Multiple Noms For 'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You', 'It Was Just An Accident', 'No Other Choice'". Deadline. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  21. ^ Pedersen, Erik (November 13, 2025). "Cinema Eye Honors 2026 Nominations: 'Come See Me In The Good Light' Leads Field". Deadline. Retrieved November 14, 2025.

See also

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