Netflix’s The Perfect Neighbor: Is it based on a true story, who is Ajike Owens?
The Sundance-winning doc The Perfect Neighbor is directed by Geeta Gandbhir.
Geeta Gandbhir who was behind Katrina: Come Hell and High Water, is also the director behind Sundance-winning documentary The Perfect Neighbor. According to Netflix, “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,” Gandbhir said.
“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.”
In an interview with Filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir was asked the question “I understand that Ajike Owens was your family friend, and that Ajike’s family had approached you to make a film after her passing. At some point after you began, you got access to the body camera footage. As a filmmaker, what was your initial reaction?”
Geeta said: “Initially, we didn’t know if we were making a film; our point was to agitate, to bring attention to the case, to draw media to it, because we were concerned that Stand Your Ground would get in the way of Susan Lorincz’s coming to any sort of justice.
“They released her initially and we thought that she would walk. We weren’t sure—it’s Florida, there is a precedent for these issues with the Trayvon Martin case. So, we really began working with our family.
“My sister-in-law, Takema Robinson, is an organizer and very skilled at that. She activated her contacts. As we began the process of filming, we didn’t know when the trial would be—even after Susan was arrested, we were worried that the laws would get in the way.”
Is Netflix’s The Perfect Neighbor based on a true story, who is Ajike Owens?
Yes, Netflix’s The Perfect Neighbor is based on a true story, it centres around a feud between neighbours Susan Lorincz and Ajike “AJ” Owens.
According to Netflix, “One night in June of 2023, Kwantu’s relative Takema Robinson, a social justice activist, reached out to him and Gandbhir about the devastating killing of Ajike “AJ” Owens, a family friend and beloved mother of four who was raising her children in a tight-knit community in Ocala, Florida.
“Owens was fatally shot by her neighbor, Susan Lorincz, over a seemingly minor dispute gone wrong, one rooted in Lorincz’s frustration with children playing in a field outside her home.”
The Perfect Neighbor is available to watch on Netflix from October 17.