'The Perfect Neighbor’ a unique, must-see Netflix doc

By my rough estimation, true crime documentaries comprise more than half of the original content on Netflix.

Many of these titles approach delicate subject matter with empathy and nuanced analysis. Others, meanwhile, take a more sensationalistic, “If it bleeds, it leads” approach.

Then, every now and again, something wholly unique comes along. Consider “The Perfect Neighbor,” a documentary by filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir (the Peabody-winning “If God is Willing and da Creek Don’t Rise,” a documentary about Hurricane Katrina).

Comprised entirely of police bodycam footage and interrogation interviews, the film contains none of the typical talking head interviews or topic-steering narration. In its lean 97-minute runtime, the film thrillingly depicts how a seemingly harmless neighborhood feud soured into devastating tragedy.

Without an overreaching commentary, viewers are left to interpret how the events happened and if the conflict is emblematic of deeper societal problems.

Notice how vague I’m being? It’s on purpose, because the less you know about what happens, the more the film allows for reflection.

While there is no “new” content produced for the documentary, Gandbhir shapes the film with brilliant editing, crafting a tight narrative from what began as months of sporadic incidents. Gandbhir’s perspective exists within this edit, like how the film jumps from one bodycam perspective to another, and when Gandbhir chooses to linger and cut away.  The story is crafted in such a way that makes the film more emotional, more human and more thematically open-ended.

Notably, the police officers are not the driving force of the storyline, even though the movie would be literally nothing without their perspective. “The Perfect Neighbor” is not making broad statements about police response protocols or the intent of videotaping every police interaction with the public. The officers here are more often seen as professional and effective conflict mediators, even when they don’t have the training to identify and mitigate mental illness.

Be aware: What happens in “The Perfect Neighbor” is wrenching. The resolution leaves you wondering how many stories like it exist out there that haven’t been so thoroughly documented. It raises profound questions about who we are as citizens and neighbors.

“The Perfect Neighbor” won the Directing Award at its world premiere earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. It will be one of a few documentaries Netflix will be pushing for Oscar consideration in the coming months. It is now streaming.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at [email protected].