Netflix documentary 'The Perfect Neighbour' explores Florida shooting case through police footage

Netflix’s latest documentary, The Perfect Neighbour, released on October 17, examines the 2023 fatal shooting of Ajike Owens, a Black mother of four, by her neighbour, 60-year-old Susan Lorincz, in Ocala, Florida.

The film is constructed entirely from two years of police bodycam and 911 footage, offering a chronological account of how a neighbourhood dispute escalated into tragedy.

Lorincz, who often called police about local children playing near her home, claimed she “feared for her life” when Owens arrived at her door after another dispute. She fired a gun through the door, killing Owens while one of her sons stood beside her. In 2024, Lorincz was found guilty of manslaughter with a firearm and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Director Geeta Gandbhir told TIME she aimed to use police bodycam footage “to expose institutional failure rather than defend it.” Gandbhir said she wanted to show how police responded repeatedly to Lorincz’s calls but did not intervene in a way that might have prevented the escalation. “The police don't have to come in guns blazing and beating people to still have failed the community,” she said.

Avoiding traditional interviews or recreations, Gandbhir’s approach allows the unfiltered recordings to tell the story. “The body camera footage is undeniable,” she said, explaining that she wanted to “flip the footage on its head” by using a tool of surveillance to humanise the community affected.

Edited by Viridiana Lieberman, the 97-minute film condenses 30 hours of material, focusing on how the situation developed over time.

Critics have described The Perfect Neighbour as both a documentary and a social commentary on fear, race, and community breakdown. Gandbhir’s intention, she said, was to ensure that stories like Owens’ “are not left in the dark.”