SYNOPSIS
In a close-knit Florida neighborhood, a parcel of vacant land becomes the center of a tragic conflict. What begins as a seemingly minor dispute over children playing escalates into a horrifying chain of events that devastates a community and sparks a national reckoning with Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” laws. At the heart of the story is Ajike Owens, a vibrant Black mother of four, whose life becomes entangled in a chilling clash with her White neighbor, Susan Lorincz—a conflict that reveals the darker undercurrents of prejudice, entitlement, and systemic failure.
Through an extraordinary feat of documentary filmmaking, The Perfect Neighbor reconstructs the harrowing sequence of events using almost exclusively police bodycam footage, detective interviews, and witness testimonies. Director Geeta Gandbhir captures the relentless escalation with searing clarity, turning a seemingly ordinary neighborhood dispute into a gripping examination of race, power, and the legal systems that shape our lives.
Unflinching and urgent, The Perfect Neighbor lays bare how everyday conflicts can expose deep fault lines in society, revealing the devastating consequences of fear, prejudice, and systemic inequities within our communities.