Netflix's The Perfect Neighbor: Filmmaker reveals why they used real bodycam footage
Emmy Award–winning director Geeta Gandbhir said The Perfect Neighbor was made possible by Ajike Owens' mom, Pamela Dias, who consented to police bodycam footage being shared
The filmmaker of The Perfect Neighbor has revealed why the documentary used real police bodycam footage to tell the story of Ajike Owens' murder.
Susan Lorincz fatally shot her neighbor in 2023, after complaining to the police for years about the local children playing near her house in Florida. On the night of Ajike's death, Susan had taken the 35-year-old's son's tablet. Ajike then went over to her neighbor's house to get it back, but was shot through the now-60-year-old's front door.
In the documentary film, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and landed on Netflix on October 17, Emmy Award–winning director Geeta Gandbhir exposes the stark realities of "stand your ground" laws by using police bodycam footage which reveal in-the-moment conversations between law enforcement and neighbors. The filmmaker explained that the film was only made possible thanks to Ajike's mother, Pamela Dias, who agreed to the footage being shared publicly.
The clips show how Susan repeatedly flipped between acting like the victim and aggressor when calling the emergency services to complain about the children playing near her home. Geeta, who is a family friend, said via Tudum, "The Perfect Neighbor is a deeply personal project, created to transform grief into purpose and honor the lasting legacy of Ajike Owens and her family.
"My team at Message Pictures, along with our incredible partners at SO’B Productions and Park Pictures, are thrilled the film will be available on Netflix, offering audiences worldwide the chance to experience this urgent and powerful story."
Talking to The Guardian, Geeta said she showed Pamela the film when completed - and her response was heartbreaking. "I showed Pam the film when it was completed," said Geeta, "and I said, 'Is this what you want?' She said, 'Yes – the world needs to know what happened to my baby.'"
The filmmaker added, "This film holds a mirror up to society. You see it in Susan's behavior, in her weaponizing the police and dehumanizing the community and her neighbors. She choses to 'adultify' and criminalize the children, most of them under 12, playing in a yard near her house that they had permission to be in.
"There are many Susans - but there are also many people like the neighbors. This shows you the best of America because it shows you a diverse, multiracial community living together, loving each other, taking care of each other's kids.
"The night that Ajike was killed, you see obviously the horror, but you also see that community spring into action. They put their lives in danger.
"They went out on to the lawn and surrounded Ajike. Susan was still in the house with a gun. They didnt know how trigger-happy she was. They didn’t know what she was going to do.
"They went and immediately took the children and held them. That is the best of America. That is what I believe in and what we hope people walk away with – realizing that communities like that need to be protected. We must protect them from the Susans of the world."
The Perfect Neighbor is now streaming on Netflix.