The Perfect Neighbor

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The Perfect Neighbor

R

2025

1h 36m

Documentary

Crime

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Popcornmeter

99%

Tomatometer

100 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ 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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Lee Zumpe

Tampa Bay Newspapers

Mar 22

It is an upsetting 97 minutes that needs to be seen.

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Sarah Vincent

Sarah G Vincent Views

Mar 22

the film’s point is not to center the victim or individuate the neighbors, but to say, "See, this lady who claims to be scared is actually terrorizing a neighborhood. Recognize her true face so you don’t become complicit now or in the future."

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Ruth Maramis

FlixChatter Film Blog

Mar 12

3.5/5

A gut-wrenching documentary that feels like a real-life horror movie. The editing keeps the film engaging throughout, though the shaky-cam shots can be a bit dizzying for those prone to motion sickness.

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Mariana T

@M.Tezeta 10h

We all have annoying neighbors, but this is the first time I've seen a documentary that portrays it in such a memorable way. I wasn't aware of the self-defense law in the US, and how this policy can address a seemingly innocent and everyday problem: children fighting with a neighbor. All of that can end in tragedy. At times I didn't fully connect with the narrative, but overall, it's a thought-provoking documentary.

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Stamos L

@RT99360374 2d

Great documentary. Maybe too long. The main message was clear though.

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Jim S

@Sharkmiester Mar 24

If they would cut it down to half an hour, I would say this is pretty good. Just too much of nothing but rehashing the neighbourhoods' feuding stories.

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Mikiyas F.

@RT77994590 Mar 22

Goood goood goood goood will recommend would watch again

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Joss A

@RT48646409 Mar 22

The Perfect Neighbor is a devastating, riveting documentary that turns police bodycam footage into something both intimate and horrifying, exposing how everyday grievance, fear, and racialized violence can spiral toward irreversible tragedy. Geeta Gandbhir’s approach is clinical without being cold, and the result is as gripping as a thriller and far more upsetting because it is real.

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Nick A.

@Nick9980 Mar 12

Well put together documentary

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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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