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

93 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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Collin Garbarino

WORLD

2d

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

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Marlon Wallace

The M Report (WBOC.com)

Jan 7

...the argument has to be made that the killer has some kind of racial bias. Sometimes, if not most times, that bias or racism can be difficult to prove. With this film, it's actually easy to prove.

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James Greenberg

culturevulture.net

Jan 2

The film is as close to objective as can be achieved. And what you get is as real and devastating a view of America that you are likely to see anywhere.

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John S

@MovieWatcher406 3h

Unfortunately public pressure put this lady in jail. If she had legal representation she would be free today and it’s sad to see police weaponized to push a woke agenda. The law is clear.

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Kayla R.

@kmr592 1d

This movie deserves a 5 star for being beautifully put together. First, instead of narration or too many one on one victim/ witness interviews it puts together a compilation of police body camera footage to show the viewer how the story played out in real time; it is like you are a fly on the wall for the majority of the film. If you know anything about text book policing, the Marion County Sheriff’s department did just that. They were actually very professional officers. For anyone blaming the police, well, you can look up simple criminal statutes and see there was nothing they could legally do to prevent this.

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Dylan N

@DNDylan01 1d

Not sure why this has 99% rating, this movie could have been a 20 minute documentary video to be honest.

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R H.

@RVH57 1d

Great documentary! Well done Makes you think about socio related issues

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Wayne M

2d

The Perfect Neighbor is a chilling and important documentary. It, without narration or fanfare, paints a disturbing picture of current day America. The documentary is about the 2023 murder of Ajike Owens in Ocala, Florida. Using Police bodycam footage, we see how a conflict grew weekly in a neighbourhood cul-de-sac where Susan Lorincz continually called the police complaining about the children annoying her. It escalates to the extent where Lorincz shoots dead Owens, the mother of one of the children. It shows, without hysteria, how gun culture is so embedded in American life. How hatred can lead to events like this. This documentary feels like a very important watch.

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Jake A.

@bigchair 3d

Raw and disturbing. We need more love

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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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