Raw Footage and the Fatal Cost of Neighborhood Feuds
Netflix has secured a documentary that is generating buzz not just for its subject matter, but for its unflinching, immediate style. Directed by Geeta Gandbhir, The Perfect Neighbor is less a passive retelling of a crime and more a raw excavation of the toxicity bubbling beneath the surface of American suburbia.
“The Perfect Neighbor”, Photo Credit: Netflix
The film, which premiered to critical acclaim at Sundance, centers on the tragic 2023 killing of Ajike Owens in Ocala, Florida, at the hands of her neighbor, Susan Lorincz. Gandbhir doesn’t just focus on the final, fatal act; she meticulously reconstructs the months of escalating conflict that led to the shooting, utilizing extensive bodycam footage from law enforcement.
What makes The Perfect Neighbor a truly essential, yet harrowing, watch is its revolutionary use of primary source bodycam footage. This is not a documentary filtered through interviews and dramatic re-enactments; it is a direct, unedited look at the reality of the ongoing disputes. The audience is plunged into the repetitive, tense, and frustrating cycle of neighbor calls, forcing them to experience the events as they unfolded over time.
This technique is a different way to tell the story, bypassing narrative commentary to present a collection of facts and emotion. The result is a profound, almost jarring sense of immediacy that demands the viewer reckon with how easily a simple neighborhood squabble can devolve into irreversible loss.
In presenting this raw footage, the film provokes a critical question in the minds of the audience: Was the police responsible for the tragedy?
The repeated calls for assistance documented on the bodycams show a system that failed to intervene, treating the escalating tensions as mere nuisances rather than a serious, potentially deadly, threat. This perceived systemic failure is a core theme.
During a post-screening Q&A, director Geeta Gandbhir herself spoke pointedly on this theme. She argued that the police’s handling of the situation was a catastrophic failure on multiple levels. Not only did their racial bias and poor judgment fail the community by allowing the dangerous situation to fester—a situation that ultimately cost Ajike Owens her life—but, as Gandbhir noted, they also arguably failed Susan Lorincz because she ended up in jail. The director suggested that consistent, unbiased, and effective intervention could have de-escalated the situation years before the fatal confrontation, potentially saving both women from their tragic fates.
The documentary quickly frames the story within the larger, fraught context of Florida’s controversial “stand-your-ground” law, turning a local tragedy into a national conversation about race, property, and justice. The Perfect Neighbor is a film that challenges the viewer to look past the final shot and examine the system that loaded the gun. It is not just a documentary you watch; it’s a conversation you can’t avoid.
