[ad_1]
One of the most unforgettable, harrowing documentaries of the year, Geeta Gandbhir’s The Perfect Neighbor explores stand-your-ground laws through an individual case in Florida. Following a Sundance premiere, where it picked up a directing award, the film will now come to the New York Film Festival ahead of a Netflix release on October 17.
Here’s the synopsis: “One woman. Dozens of 911 calls. And a close-knit neighborhood caught in a nightmare. What begins as one woman’s relentless harassment of children spirals into a shocking act of violence. Captured through gripping police bodycam footage, The Perfect Neighbor – Winner of the Sundance Film Festival’s Directing Award – delivers a hauntingly powerful experience that keeps you on edge from start to finish.”
I said in my Sundance review, “First coming under wider scrutiny in 2005 when passed in Florida, the stand-your-ground law allows property owners to use deadly force to defend their home from trespassers. The foreseeable result has been an uptick in homicides and a proven racial bias when it comes to the number of white shooters and Black victims. While there’s an overwhelming amount of data and cases a documentary could explore on the issue, Geeta Gandbhir’s gripping, infuriating The Perfect Neighbor takes an objectively narrow, focused approach, exploring a single case in Florida primarily through police bodycam and CCTV interrogation footage. Initial police calls involving a neighbor upset at the children trespassing on her property shockingly escalates in a single moment; Gandbhir lets the footage speak for itself, creating a documentary far more upsetting and impactful than any number of talking heads could provide.”
See the trailer below.
[ad_2]
