Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Body cam footage captures violence, death, language, racism.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Perfect Neighbor
What's the Story?
Using actual body cam footage from police, THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR recounts how tensions in one Florida neighborhood built over the course of more than a year and led to the shooting death of a woman and mother of four. Police are called repeatedly by a single woman who lives on the street, complaining about the noise and aggravation of a large group of local children playing near her home. Neighbors, including kids, are interviewed. When the White woman shoots her Black neighbor, she claims self-defense. Tensions erupt in the neighborhood and the wider Black community when the perpetrator isn't immediately arrested.
Is It Any Good?
This stirring documentary resolves a true crime and is sure to spark debate, leaving viewers with a nagging sense that something is very, very wrong in America. The Perfect Neighbor innovates by reconstructing events that led to the killing of a mother of four using almost entirely police body camera footage. We witness the months-long build-up of tensions in one neighborhood, the death of the woman, the investigative process, and the resolution of the case. It's hard to turn away from the story as it tragically unfolds in condensed real time.
The film may elicit debate, including about controversial Stand Your Ground laws, which have been used successfully more often by White people to claim self-defense in attacking Black people, according to the documentary. It may spark discussion of police responses, shown so intimately here. And it will undoubtedly remind or inform you of social problems festering in America, problems involving racism, poverty, mental health, and gun violence. And of course, our unending desire to watch it all happen.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the use of body cam footage to create the documentary The Perfect Neighbor. How was this different from other documentaries you've watched? What feelings did it evoke that using a regular camera might not have? What else was unique about the technique?
What surprised you the most about the interrogation sessions in this film?
Did you know what Stand Your Ground laws were? What's your opinion about them? Where could you go to research them further?
What is your opinion about the actions of the police in this film? How do you think the director was able to get all of this footage?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : October 17, 2025
- Director : Geeta Gandbhir
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : Activism ( Civic engagement , Racial justice ) , Family Stories
- Run time : 98 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language
- Awards : BAFTA - BAFTA Nominee , NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Nominee
- Last updated : October 16, 2025
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