When filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir stumbled into the story of her sister-in-law’s friend, she discovered something far darker than a neighbour ...
When filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir stumbled into the story of her sister-in-law’s friend, she discovered something far darker than a neighbour dispute. The Netflix documentary The Perfect Neighbor follows the tragic killing of 35-year-old mother of four Ajike “AJ” Owens by her white neighbour Susan Lorincz — a case rooted in fear, prejudice and Florida’s controversial “stand-your-ground” law. And yes, the case echoes larger stories like the one of Trayvon Martin — another Black young man whose life was cut short under similar legal terrain.
Years of creeping tension in a quiet Florida neighbourhood exploded into horror when Susan Lorincz fired through her locked door and killed AJ Owens. The film The Perfect Neighbor doesn’t shy away from this truth — using body-camera footage, 911 calls and neighbourhood surveillance to show how small-town feuds + weaponised laws = disaster.
Gandbhir began this project not as a big documentary, but as a way to support a family she knew. When the police took days to arrest Lorincz, citing the “stand-your-ground” investigation process, she knew something had to be told. Through nearly two years of footage and interviews, the doc paints the escalation: Lorincz’s repeated complaints about children playing, racial slurs, the ignored warnings — then that final unthinkable moment.
Film reviewers compared this to a horror movie built on truth: you can see the dread build, the underlying fear of “the other”, and how laws meant to protect life can enable violence instead. One critic wrote: “It reveals how a violent tragedy can be unwittingly manifested by unchecked grievance and a law that weaponises white fear more than it guards anyone’s peace.” (LA Times)
The documentary also puts a spotlight on systemic inequalities — when a Black mother’s knock at a door becomes a death sentence while other claims of self-defence are accepted without question. In Nigeria, we’ve seen similar headlines: cases where violence hides behind legal justification, and public outcry only comes after someone is dead.
Owens’s children, still young, and her family are now tied to her legacy. They’ve set up the Standing in the Gap Fund to support families caught in racial violence and to challenge oppressive laws. The film makes it clear: this is bigger than one incident. It is about community, accountability and how our laws must reflect justice, not fear.
Gandbhir’s style is deliberate. She lets you witness the moments uncut — the body-cam, the 911 calls, the waiting, the failure of intervention. She avoids voice-over heavy narration because she trusts you to feel what those neighbourhood residents felt. And they felt terror, frustration and helplessness. The viewer does too.
Conclusion
The Perfect Neighbor is painful, urgent and unavoidable. It’s not just AJ Owens’ story — it’s a warning about what happens when laws meant to protect become twisted into weapons. As viewers worldwide press play, the message is loud: laws like stand-your-ground must be questioned. And for the Owens family, the hope is that her name will live on as a catalyst for change.