Netflix's The Perfect Neighbor documentary crosses 16 million views within days of its release

One of the grittiest documentaries of 2025, The Perfect Neighbor, has managed to amass positive reception from viewers and critics alike. Directed by Geeta Gandbhir, The Perfect Neighbor is a true crime documentary based on a shocking incident that happened in 2023.

The movie is entirely told from the perspective of police bodycam footage and focuses on a peaceful neighborhood in Florida, which was turned upside down by the arrival of Susan Lorincz. Lorincz repeatedly called the police over several months as she was annoyed by the children playing in her yard, even though the parents and other neighbors living in the area confirmed that the kids never incited violence, and instead, Lorincz used to threaten their children and the parents.

Unfortunately, things kept escalating, and ultimately, on June 2, 2023, Lorincz shot Ajike “AJ” Shantrell Owens, who was a mother of four. The two got involved in an argument, and Ajike soon died from the gunshot wounds. The Perfect Neighbor has brought forth questions of racism, violence, and stand-your-ground law in neighborhoods and has crossed 16 million views on Netflix.

Details about The Perfect Neighbor and its release success

Still from the movie (Image via YouTube/Netflix)

The Perfect Neighbor has been deemed hard-hitting and emotional as it is created entirely through police bodycam footage and has offered viewers a look into the events that led up to the tragic shooting of Ajike. The documentary plays out like riveting footage and underlines how happy neighborhoods in America can quickly become a cause of racism and violence.

The Perfect Neighbor also raises questions about the veracity of the stand-your-ground law, allowing people to use deadly force if they believe that they are under threat and need to protect themselves in the name of self-defense. Interestingly, Ajike was the best friend of Gandbhir’s sister-in-law, and Gandbhir’s partner and producer, Nikon Kwantu, began the documentation when they came to know that Lorincz might use the stand-your-ground law in her defense.

While the film had its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in January 2025, Netflix acquired the movie and released it on its platform on October 17, 2025, and it quickly became viral. Not only was The Perfect Neighbor noted for its direction, themes, and editing, but it quickly gained 16.7 million views in its first three days of release as well, according to Variety.

Further, the documentary became the second most-watched title on the streaming platform during the week of October 13 to 19. The first place went to The Woman in Cabin 10, which got 30.1 million views in its second week and had 21.2 million views in its debut week. According to Variety, both these movies pushed Kpop Demon Hunters to the third spot, which had been in the top two positions for 17 weeks.

The Perfect Neighbor has proven itself to be a well-made and eye-opening documentary that looks at the issues of racism and violence in modern-day America, and judging by the viewership numbers, the film has certainly captured the viewers’ attention.

Geeta Gandbhir talks about The Perfect Neighbor

In an interview with Film Comment, director Geeta Gandbhir talks about her filmmaking process and the true crime genre. She said that even though she was viewing the footage to help the legal team, as Ajike was a close friend of her sister-in-law, she soon realized that the police footage “was the film” itself. Gandbhir said:

“The footage paints a portrait of the community before the tragedy. Being that there’s so much gun violence in this country, unfortunately, we often see the aftermath of a shooting but not what the community was like before. For us, that was critical. Police body-cam footage is used to surveil communities of color in order to protect the police, so we wanted to flip that on its head and use it to show the point of view of this community—this tight-knit, diverse community of families just living their lives, being joyful, and taking care of each other.”

Further, Gandbhir mentions that she did not think of the movie as a true crime, as the story was deeply personal for her and her family. She notes that she did not want to commercialize the movie, and it was ultimately made to “mitigate grief.” Ultimately, she wants a change in controversial laws that target people of color and wants to continue Ajike’s legacy.