Unfiltered tragedy

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MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Friday, December 12th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: a true-crime documentary that’s earning national attention.

The Critics Choice Association last month named the Netflix original The Perfect Neighbor the best documentary of the year and gave it additional awards for directing and editing.

WORLD arts and culture editor Collin Garbarino is a member of the association and was one of the critics who voted for the film. He explains the reasons it stood above the rest.

911 OPERATOR: 911. What is the address of your emergency?

NEIGHBOR: Somebody got shot!

COLLIN GARBARINO: The Perfect Neighbor is a mesmerizing piece of documentary filmmaking that chronicles the events surrounding the killing of Ajike Owens, a black woman shot by her white neighbor Susan Lorincz. On June 2, 2023, Owens went to Lorincz’s house attempting to confront the neighbor over interactions with Owens’ children. Lorincz fired a handgun through the locked door of her home, killing Owens.

But as the documentary shows, trouble had been festering for two years before that tragic night.

NEIGHBOR: But from my understanding… Everybody, all the kids, has problems with this lady.

Lorincz was at odds with most of the residents in her Ocala, Florida, neighborhood. But Owens and her kids, who lived across the street, seemed to especially arouse her ire. Here’s Lorincz talking to the police after calling them to complain about Owens.

SUSAN LORINCZ: I called because the lady across the street on the phone hit me with a sign. Her children were walking their dog on the property. It clearly says, “No trespassing,” and they’re always walking the dog.

Most of the animosity seemed to stem from the fact that the home Lorincz rented abutted an empty lot in which the neighborhood kids played. Lorincz didn’t like having them play next door, so she kept calling the police, even though she didn’t have any legal claim to the empty lot. Here’s Owens giving her perspective on the situation to the police.

AJIKE OWENS: First all, this open space right here, all the kids, they like to play kickball, football, in the space. She moves in, “I don’t want y’all playing over here, it’s private property.”

Lorincz comes across as an obsessed woman who’s either delusional or trying to mislead the police. She talks like justice is on her side, while she wastes the time of law enforcement officers by repeatedly calling them out to complain about the neighborhood kids. Most of the time, the police show her little sympathy.

OFFICER: I understand it’s a nuisance, but I’d rather kids be screaming cause they’re out here playing, having a good time, than stealing cars and robbing people, so…

As the months pass, the altercations continue, and Lorincz seems to become even more delusional in her insistence that she’s in the right and that the law should be on her side. After she shoots and kills her neighbor, Lorincz shows little remorse, maintaining she was merely defending herself and that Florida’s stand-your-ground law should protect her.

LORINCZ: I don’t bug anybody. I’m a single woman. And I work from home. You know, I’m peaceful. I’m like the perfect neighbor. You barely even see me.

The film depicts a heartrending tragedy. But there are plenty of true crime stories, and most aren’t known for their cinematic achievement. So what makes this film special? Well, director Greeta Gandbhir uses a groundbreaking technique to tell the story.

The documentary uses nothing but police recordings, with the bulk of the scenes coming from bodycam footage. Gandbhir supplements that footage with 911 calls and investigation interviews.

LORINCZ: I’m having problems with the neighbors’ children. They come up to me and just scream like idiots.

The archival footage is stitched together seamlessly, which makes watching The Perfect Neighbor an eerily compelling experience. Viewers feel like they’re getting an unfiltered look at the facts of the case. We hear Lorincz explain her actions. We hear the neighbors give their perspective. We even see the reactions of the police officers. And all along the way, we keep thinking, “How could this escalate to the point of death?”

NEIGHBOR: All she did was tell the lady to stop yelling at her kids. That lady yells at everybody’s kids out here.

OFFICER: OK. Well, I mean… I wouldn’t go over there anymore.

The Perfect Neighbor is rated R for language, though it’s not pervasive and of course all of it is archival. The film contains no talking heads or experts explaining the moral of the story. Even so, Gandbhir manages to explore important themes about prejudice and civil society. Through this story, she questions the wisdom of the “stand your ground” laws that might unintentionally encourage the reckless discharge of firearms. This documentary is a masterclass in argument through storytelling, getting its point across without stating it outright.

I’m Collin Garbarino.

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