The Perfect Neighbor

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The Perfect Neighbor

R

2025

1h 36m

Documentary

Crime

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

99%

Tomatometer

100 Reviews

80%

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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Pablo B

@PabloBlanco 17h

This is fiction masquerading as a documentary.

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RTM F

@RT29662873 1d

A documentary is supposed to be unbiased, not pushing a narrative. This was made by the best friend of the woman who was killed, and you can tell what she wants you to get from it from the moments she shows to the music she uses to the quotes she displays.

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Cupidd D.

@RT52308745 4d

Very informative about this crime and respectful. Made me cry when it first came out

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Madelena D

@RT76137801 5d

Powerful documentary, that shows the tragic events from the perspective of the police, allowing you to form your own opinion of what happened.

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Kurtis S.

@justkurtis 6d

Should be required viewing and as hard as it is to watch it is so compelling. Excellently edited into a feature from body cam footage. This is what a great documentary looks like.

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M J

@RT26250951 6d

While this is certainly a tragic story I would not call this a "documentary." I found it very one sided and biased. The director is publicly open about her desire to repeal stand your ground and castle doctrine laws on the basis of social justice. So when you understand this the movie just comes across as a political ad.

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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