(Credits: Netflix)

What brought Geeta Gandbhir, Nikon Kwantu, and producer Alisa Payne is not their passion for storytelling, but an unprecedented connection to a tragedy that led to the creation of The Perfect Neighbour on Netflix.

It all dates back to the night of June 2023, when Kwantu’s relative, Takema Robinson, a social justice activist, contacted him and Gandbhir about the tragic killing of Ajike “AJ” Owens, who was not only a family friend but also a mother of four. She was raising her children in a tight-knit community in Ocala, Florida.

But one day, she was fatally shot by her neighbour, Susan Lorincz, whose reasons were rooted in her frustration over the children playing in the field outside her home. “This shocking crime left my family and me engulfed in grief and confusion,” says Gandbhir to Tudum. “It was heartbreaking to witness how such a close environment could unravel so catastrophically.”

Gandbhir, Kwantu, and Payne made their way to Florida, aiming to support the family and raise awareness since Lorincz wasn’t immediately arrested. “The Perfect Neighbour is one of those films that we say we wish that we didn’t have to make,” Payne adds. But for those still unable to piece together the shocking conclusion, here’s how it all happened in the true-crime docufilm.

What happens in The Perfect Neighbour?

Directed by Gandbhir and produced by Kwantu, Payne, and Sam Bisbee, The Perfect Neighbour on Netflix is told almost entirely through the perspective of police body camera footage, documenting the daily happenings of a neighbourhood.

“The neighbours genuinely cared for one another. There was a significant bond between families. We have children growing up together, playing together as they should. Family was at the very cornerstone of the neighbourhood, and that’s what made that community very special and a unique place to live in, “says Owen’s mother, Pamela Dias.

As it happens, in most communities, regardless of which part of the world they exist in, children’s games would often extend beyond their own four walls and lawns. And something similar happened in the empty spot next to Lorincz’s home.

“Susan was such an outlier in this community. When there’s a conflict in any way, she’s going to call the police,” Kwantu says, speaking of her nature. In fact, she rang up the cops on the children multiple times over the years. However, the law enforcement usually supported the kids and their families, making Lorincz extremely cold towards her neighbours. The pent-up frustration and anger ultimately culminated in the cold-blooded encounter when she shot Owens.

The Perfect Neighbour offers an intimate look into the escalating agitation with the community with the help of hour-long body camera footage and audio recordings. The filmmakers could leverage these, thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request put forward by lawyers of Owen’s family to bring out the story of the most insensitive killing in modern history.

Once they had the footage, the creators approached Dias about turning the body cam footage into a docu-film, hoping to raise awareness and fight for justice. Dias gave the go-ahead, but the trust was built over time. “When Geeta initially approached me about sharing the documentary, at that time, I was very much consumed by grief. We didn’t know what was going to happen, but with the prospect of a film, it gave my heart a sense of comfort, and it lightened a little bit of the burden I was carrying,” she explains.

What are “stand your ground” laws?

While making The Perfect Neighbour for Netflix, everyone awaited justice for Owens alongside her family. Ocala is less than two hours away from Sanford, where in 2012, an unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot by George Zimmerman. Zimmerman, who claimed self-defence, was eventually cleared of the charges. His trial brought far-and-wide attention to Florida’s “stand your ground” law, which allows residents to resort to fatal force when their lives are in danger, even if they “can retreat to safety” and they are out of their homes.

While laws like this exist in some way or another in over half of the US states, Florida’s “stand your ground” law sparked debates and discussions following Zimmerman’s acquittal in 2013. Owens’ murder, which took place a decade later, sparked a similar outburst, causing nationwide outrage towards the laws that affect Black people. “Hopefully through [Owens’s] legacy we can fight ‘stand your ground’ and other harmful policies.” Says Payne.

About Aijike “AJ” Owens

“Ajike Owens was a devoted mother of four and a cherished family friend who lived in Ocala, Florida,” Gandbhir says. The Perfect Neighbour tells her story through the perspective of her family, photos, and everyday goings-on, providing an intimate look at the role she played inside of her four walls and beyond. She was a “protective parent” who always mitigated when her children had problems with Lorincz.

Does the docufilm show the killing?

The Perfect Neighbour doesn’t show the shooting of Ajike Owens since there is no video footage of the devastating moment. The film, however, recreates events leading up to the firing and afterwards through feature interviews, 911 audio, and on-scene body-cam footage. Viewers can witness the unravelling of the neighbourhood as SOS signals are sent, followed by the arrival of the cops and EMS response.

What happened to Susan Lorincz?

The Netflix documentary opens in the fall of 2022, when Susan Lorincz informed the cops about community children playing loudly and trashing the vacant lot next to her house. The frequent calls and statements are recorded in body cameras, which are used to show the increase in her complaints over time.

The 911 complaints are dated until June 2nd, 2023, when Lorincz complained that Owens was trying to break in and posed a threat to her life. Two minutes later, she called again to report that she had shot Owens through the door. Although emergency responders acted quickly to save Owens, she was later declared dead at a hospital. The authorities waited for days to put Lorincz into custody as they kept their probe on whether the shoot-out met the criteria of Florida’s “stand your ground law,” sparking widespread unrest in the community.

It was not until June 6th, 2023, that Lorincz was arrested on the charges of manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery, and two counts of assault. She was found guilty in 2024 and sentenced to 25 years in prison.