Netflix drops trailer for ‘The Perfect Neighbor’, chilling bodycam doc turns deadly

Netflix has premiered the first trailer for The Perfect Neighbor, a new documentary by Geeta Gandbhir that exposes how a neighbour’s harassment spirals into tragic violence. The film, which won the U.S. Documentary Directing Award at Sundance earlier this year, tells its story almost entirely through police bodycam footage and official recordings.

The narrative centers on a Florida community caught in a bewildering conflict, a woman repeatedly calls the police over her Black neighbours’ children playing outside, reporting what seems like innocuous behaviour until the situation escalates. The trailer reveals the mounting tension through 911 calls, on-scene police interactions, and surveillance shots, hinting that the harassment evolves into a catastrophic act of violence.

The documentary investigates the 2023 killing of Ajike ‘AJ’ Owens, whose death stemmed from the long-running neighbor disputes. Gandbhir approaches the story as an ethical and legal reckoning, using found footage to let viewers witness how the conflict escalated, rather than relying primarily on retrospective interviews.

One of the film’s major threads examines Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” laws and how they may factor into neighbourhood violence and justifications for use of force. The trailer suggests that the documentary doesn’t shy away from asking whether such laws enable escalation and violence under the guise of self-defence.

The Perfect Neighbor will be released in select U.S. theatres on October 10, before premiering on Netflix on October 17. Gandbhir called the film “a deeply personal project, created to transform grief into purpose and honor the lasting legacy of Ajike Owens and her family.”

The production credits include Geeta Gandbhir, Alisa Payne, Nikon Kwantu, Sam Bisbee, and others with executive producers such as Soledad O’Brien and Rose Arce.

While the trailer and publicity materials present a gripping, unflinching look at modern racial and legal tensions, it remains to be seen how the full film handles context, motivations, and accountability. The choices Gandbhir makes about what to include or exclude in the final cut will shape how audiences interpret the events and responsibilities.