Netflix subscribers in tears over ‘disturbing’ 100% rated movie storming most-watched charts
Topics: Netflix, True crime, Florida, Social Media, Streaming
Ellie Kemp
Featured Image Credit: Bymuratdeniz/Getty Images
Topics: Netflix, True crime, Florida, Social Media, Streaming
Netflix subscribers have broken down in tears over a 'harrowing' new documentary with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.
The streamer is renowned for its true crime coverage, whether an in-depth, three-part documentary series like Amy Bradley is Missing, or a feature-length movie like The High School Catfish.
And now, Emmy-winning filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir is behind the platform's latest offering, which is dominating the Netflix charts.
Having released on Friday (October 17), the doc is currently the second most-watched movie worldwide on the platform, and the number one in the US.
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Running for an hour and 37 minutes, it's been hailed one of 'the best and most important films of the year'.
Using bodycam footage, 911 calls and police interview footage, it retells the killing of 35-year-old Ajike 'AJ' Owens in Ocala, Florida.
The mom-of-four was shot by her neighbor, Susan Lorincz, while outside Lorincz' locked front door in June 2023.
She was struck in the chest by a single bullet, while her young son stood beside her. AJ was rushed to hospital where she was later pronounced dead.
Tensions between the neighbors had been building for nearly two years, with Lorincz frequently complaining about Owens’ children playing outside.
She also directed racial slurs at AJ's young children.
As the conflict unfolds, the documentary explores how fear, racial bias, and gun culture intertwine with the law, raising questions about Florida’s controversial 'Stand Your Ground' legislation.
Gandbhir, a close friend of AJ, told Netflix Tudum: "This shocking crime left my family and me engulfed in grief and confusion.
"Ajike’s community was tight-knit, rooted in mutual support and trust. It was heartbreaking to witness how such a close environment could unravel so catastrophically."
The documentary in question is The Perfect Neighbor, which is streaming now on Netflix.
Critics have awarded The Perfect Neighbor a 100 percent score over on Rotten Tomatoes.
Mac the Movie Guy's John Stark described it as 'powerful, emotionally draining, and one of the best and most important films of the year'.
LeisureByte.com's Archi Sengupta agreed it was a 'harrowing reminder of how power and prejudice can destroy so many innocent lives'.
"Rarely have I seen a documentary that is so gripping and intense... It will stay with you forever," one viewer said.
The discussion continued over on X, where viewers admitted to sobbing over certain gut-wrenching scenes in the film.
"You won’t see a more horrifying film this year than #ThePerfectNeighbor... Cried tears of rage and sadness watching. This is what evil looks like," one wrote.
A second said it was a 'devastating watch,' adding: "The level of entitlement, racism and pure evil from that lady [Lorincz] was shocking but the grace that the police gave her was truly too disturbing to watch."
The Perfect Neighbor is streaming now on Netflix.