The Perfect Neighbor

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The Perfect Neighbor

R

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1h 36m

Documentary

Crime

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

99%

Tomatometer

95 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

A seemingly minor neighborhood dispute in Florida escalates into deadly violence. Police bodycam footage and investigative interviews expose the consequences of Florida's "stand your ground" laws.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

Nov 11

Extremely powerful and extremely important documentary filmmaking.

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Sam Adams

Slate

Nov 4

A chilling and provocative look at the limits of policing, particularly when the laws the police are called to enforce present more of a problem than a solution.

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Peter Travers

The Travers Take

Oct 31

3.5/4

Captured entirely from police cam footage, this Oscar-buzzed documentary about a white Florida woman who murders her Black neighbor indicts an entire society. It's also the scariest movie you’ll see this Halloween season.

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Joe Lipsett

Murder Made Fiction Podcast - Bloody Disgusting

Feb 13

3.5/5

A timely doc about the dangers (and racism) of Stand Your Ground laws. The strongest selling feature is how director Geeta Gandbhir uses police body cam for additional commentary

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Jayne Nelson

Radio Times

Feb 3

5/5

It's a difficult watch, but a true feat of documentary film-making: a howl of escalating fury captured, with deceptive simplicity, by law-enforcement officers who sadly failed to connect the dots.

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Collin Garbarino

WORLD

Jan 30

The archival footage is stitched together seamlessly, which makes watching The Perfect Neighbor an eerily compelling experience.

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Johann D. M

@Johann33 3d

#ThePerfectNeighbor 4 Stars!!! INTENSE, TRAGIC, AND RAW! A powerful and unsettling true-crime documentary that retells the real events leading up to the fatal shooting of Ajike "AJ" Owens by her neighbor, Susan Lorincz, in a Florida suburb. Rather than using traditional narration or talking-head interviews, the film is constructed mostly from police body-cam, 911, and surveillance footage, placing you directly into the escalating tension in the neighborhood. As the killing itself did, the film notably questions the systemic bias in how Florida's stand-your-ground laws are applied.

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Lauryl A

@Lauryl 4d

This documentary is compelling and heartbreaking but it makes you realize how fortunate you are not to live with hatred. My heart went out to the beautiful children involved. It is a must see.

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dennis M.

@DJmuggs 4d

Love these types of documentaries that should really show you how crazy people are out there in the world

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Madman Kirk M

@MadmanKirk 6d

I live near where this happened and still learned a lot of facts I didn’t know. This movie is as real as one can be with all the police cam video.

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Julie C.

@Julz7 Feb 12

This is extremely well done and thought provoking. Add it to your must watch list.

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Madison W.

@BaddieMaddie Feb 6

This was absolutely heartbreaking! I am still thinking about it!

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Geeta Gandbhir

Director

Nikon Kwantu

Producer

Geeta Gandbhir

Producer

Alisa Payne

Producer

Sam Bisbee

Producer

Sam Pollard

Executive Producer

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Synopsis

A seemingly minor neighborhood dispute in Florida escalates into deadly violence. Police bodycam footage and investigative interviews expose the consequences of Florida's "stand your ground" laws.

Director: Geeta Gandbhir
Producer: Nikon Kwantu, Geeta Gandbhir, Alisa Payne, Sam Bisbee
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Message Pictures
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Documentary, Crime
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 10, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 17, 2025
Runtime: 1h 36m

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