:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/The-Perfect-Neighbor-092425-3-caf23e556c2f4112844b2d7f6478b30f.jpg "What is Netflix's The Perfect Neighbor documentary about? All about the jarring case told through...")
Geeta Gandbhir's new documentary is already generating Oscar buzz. What is Netflix's The Perfect Neighbor documentary about? All about the jarring case told thr
Geeta Gandbhir's new documentary is already generating Oscar buzz.
What is Netflix's The Perfect Neighbor documentary about? All about the jarring case told through body-cam footage
Geeta Gandbhir's new documentary is already generating Oscar buzz.
By Randall Colburn
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Randall Colburn
Randall Colburn is a writer and editor at **. His work has previously appeared on *The A.V. Club, The Guardian, The Ringer*, and many other publications.
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September 24, 2025 4:00 p.m. ET
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'The Perfect Neighbor' on Netflix. Credit:
- *The Perfect Neighbor, *an acclaimed new documentary, tells the story of a dispute in a Florida neighborhood with fatal consequences.
- Directed by Geeta Gandbhir, it's told through police body camera footage, 911 calls, and other found sources.
- The documentary will stream on Netflix on Oct. 17.
A documentary composed almost entirely through police body camera footage is being touted as one of the most powerful films of the year.
*The Perfect Neighbor*, slated to debut on Netflix in October, utilizes candid videos and 911 calls to unspool a 2023 dispute between neighbors in Ocala, Fla., that ended in murder.
The documentary scored a prize for its director, Geeta Gandbhir (*Katrina: Come Hell and High Water*), upon its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Since then, it's garnered ample acclaim and triggered fierce discussions about paranoia, community, and U.S. gun laws.
Gandbhir's film is already being discussed as a potential Oscar contender, and its hot-button themes will surely permeate the discourse following its release. Below is everything to know about *The Perfect Neighbor*, from its release date and trailer to the details of the real-life tragedy that led to its creation.
What is *The Perfect Neighbor *about?
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'The Perfect Neighbor' on Netflix.
"Using bodycam footage from dozens of police visits, *The Perfect Neighbor* bears witness to a tight-knit community navigating one neighbor's relentless harassment," reads the official logline. "But her hostility takes a sinister turn when it escalates into a fatal crime."
The incident involved 35-year-old Ajike "AJ" Shantrell Owens, who was shot through a locked door and killed by a neighbor, 58-year-old Susan Lorincz. The murder occurred after what's said to be years of tension between Lorincz and the Ocala, Fla., community in which she lived.
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"How do you get from living next door to someone and they're just your neighbor, to picking up a gun and committing such a horrible act?" Gandbhir said in a chat with fellow documentarian Petra Costa. "How do you get there? What could possibly lead to that? And I think that question of how we turn on each other, how we become so polarized, again, is the beating heart of this film. How are we divided? We were trying to answer that in this process."**
Is there a trailer for The Perfect Neighbor?
Yes, Netflix released the official trailer for *The Perfect Neighbor *on Sept. 23.
The two-minute clip eases audiences into the documentary's unique visual approach, which tells its story almost entirely through 911 calls and footage culled from body cameras worn by police officers.
"We really wanted to just live in the police body camera footage and not impose any voice-over or interviews or anything like that, so people could feel embedded within the community," said Gandbhir.
She added, "We had to sync all these hours of police body camera footage, which just came to us in a jumble, and figure out which audio went with which police officer. There were always two on the scene. There were also 911 calls and calls just that the shooter made to the police. And then there were detective interviews with the community. Figuring out who everyone was [was] a complete puzzle."**
When does The Perfect Neighbor come out?
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'The Perfect Neighbor' on Netflix.
*The Perfect Neighbor* will play in select theaters beginning Oct. 10. It will stream on Netflix on Oct. 17.
What happened to Susan Lorincz?
Following the shooting, Lorincz was charged with manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery, and two counts of assault, per PEOPLE.
Lorincz's defense cited Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, which allows for citizens to use deadly force in certain cases as a means of self-defense.
Lorincz was found guilty of manslaughter by use of a firearm in August 2024. In November of that year, she was sentenced to 25 years in prison.**
Where can I watch The Perfect Neighbor?
*The Perfect Neighbor *will play in select theaters before streaming on Netflix.
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Source: "EW Movies"
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