The Perfect Neighbor

What’s it about?

The Perfect Neighbor is a true crime documentary about a neighbourhood dispute that escalates to a shooting, made up of police body camera footage, police interviews and 911 call audio.

The facts

• Directed by Geeta Gandbhir
• English language
• Runtime: 98 Minutes
• Nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2026 Academy Awards

Why did it get this rating?

Self-rated: This film was self-rated by Netflix. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.

Content that may disturb

The documentary’s focus on real life harassment, injustice and a shooting is likely to disturb some viewers. The level of visual detail is low, but as it is made from real-life footage, some viewers will find it more disturbing.

Examples of content that may disturb include:

• A woman is briefly shown unconscious on the ground after being shot. The injury is not clearly visible.
• A family of four children learning that their mother has died.
• Extended discussions about the circumstances around the shooting.

Discrimination

Discrimination is discussed but is not shown directly.

There is body-camera footage of people reporting discrimination, including the use of the slurs the N–word and ‘r*tard’, and other racist statements. A woman justifies using racial slurs by saying she was taught it meant someone who was unlawful, dirty, and disrespectful, implying she didn’t believe her use of the N-word was racist. This may be upsetting for some viewers.

Discrimination in the justice system is also discussed, with text saying white people are more likely to succeed with a stand your ground defence than black people, more so if they have killed a black person.

Sexual violence

A woman says that she has been raped before, which contributed to her fearfulness, but does not describe it further.

Offensive language

Offensive language used includes: ‘f**k’, ‘sh*t’, ‘cr*p’, and ‘b*tch’. Slurs used include ‘r*tard’ and the N-word.

Children talk about the ‘b word’ and the ‘p word’ and spell out jackass instead of saying it.

Offensive language is used for emphasis, in anger, and to insult.

Helplines:

Sexual violence, discrimination, and other themes could be upsetting for some viewers, especially for those who have gone through similar experiences. If you are struggling with what you have seen on-screen please reach out for help. If you or someone you know needs to talk:

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?