Geeta Gandbhir (Katrina: Come Hell and High Water) directs this documentary composed almost exclusively of police bodycam footage about the Ocala, Florida, neighborhood where Susan Lorincz shot neighbor Ajike Owens through a closed front door. The shooting highlighted Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law. (96 min.)
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR
What’s it rated? R
What’s it worth, Anna? Full price
What’s it worth, Glen? Full price
Where’s it showing? Netflix
Glen Are we entitled to peace and quiet? Many municipalities have noise ordinances. There’s also the so-called “covenant of quiet enjoyment”—an implied legal promise that a tenant has a right to peaceful and private use of a property, but that usually refers to unreasonable landlord interference. What this new Netflix documentary explores is the expectations and limits of a person’s right to peace and quiet. Lorincz, who I’d definitely label a “Karen” in today’s vernacular, was a 58-year-old white woman when the June 2, 2023, shooting took place. She was renting a unit in a quadraplex, and many of her neighbors were Black. She was also well known to local law enforcement because she summoned them regularly to complain about the neighborhood kids, who she felt were too loud and disruptive. She didn’t want them playing in the lot adjacent to her rental property, even though the lot’s owner had given the kids permission. In my mind, she embodies what’s wrong with many Americans’ senses of entitlement.
Anna It’s always interesting to watch these “fly on the wall” bodycam recordings, to hear how different officers deal with people or groups differently, the mumblings under their breath or private conversations, and the vastly different tales that can come from one side or the other in an altercation. Lorincz’s complaint is that the neighborhood kids were antagonizing her, being unreasonably loud, and playing on “her” property. The reality seems to be that the field adjacent to her apartment had been used for many years by the neighborhood as a great place for kids to gather, run, and play football. The person who lived in her place before didn’t mind the kids, and the person who actually owns the property that they’re playing on doesn’t mind them there. Susan has let the youngsters become a pebble in her shoe—one she wants the cops to deal with. She’s convinced, it seems, that law enforcement should be on her side, but in reality, most of the officers who respond to her complaints would rather see kids playing than causing mischief, and they tell her as much. Ultimately, her lack of control and unhinged anger caused absolute tragedy and left four children without their mother.
Glen The series highlights several interesting societal phenomena, beginning with the limits of policing. If the person calling the police has unreasonable expectations, as Lorincz clearly has, the police are still required to waste time and resources responding, and no one leaves the interaction happy. Lorincz feels like her rights aren’t being protected, and the kids and their parents feel like the police are being used to continually harass them. When you live in a community, you need to realize that it’s a shared space and that to go along you need to get along. Lorincz seemed to believe her rights were the only ones that mattered and couldn’t fathom that her neighbors and their children also had a right to the enjoyment of their shared space. Ultimately, I found Lorincz’s defense of her actions ridiculous. She wasn’t the victim; she was the perpetrator. Think of this as a found footage horror movie. Lorincz’s entitlement turned murderous.
Anna You can certainly see her entitlement oozing from her with every call to the police. She comes off as nothing more than scummy, and while my conscience tells me to lead with compassion, the small amount I can conjure for her is microscopic. This film is a difficult watch given that there’s no hiding behind any fiction. Rest in peace, Ajike. ∆
Arts Editor Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Nov 13-23, 2025.