If Netflix’s The Perfect Neighbor (2025) left you stunned, you’re not alone. Directed by Geeta Gandbhir, the emotional documentary dissects the true story of Ajike “AJ” Owens, a Florida mother shot by her neighbor Susan Lorincz, and the broken justice system surrounding Florida’s controversial Stand Your Ground law.
Told entirely through police bodycam and surveillance footage, the documentary immerses viewers in a harrowing real-life tragedy — one that exposes deep racial and societal divides. If this powerful narrative gripped you, here are 7 equally thought-provoking crime documentaries that dive deep into justice, fear, and the human psyche.
Table of Contents
1. American Murder: The Family Next Door (2020)
| Category | Information |
|---|---|
| Platform | Netflix |
| Director | Jenny Popplewell |
| Storyline | The 2018 murders of Shanann Watts and her children, committed by husband Chris Watts. |
| Unique Element | Constructed solely from real text messages, police footage, and social media posts. |
One of Netflix’s most haunting crime documentaries, American Murder tells the story of how a wholesome family image unraveled into unfathomable horror. The unfiltered reliance on raw digital records mirrors The Perfect Neighbor, reminding viewers just how close real monsters can live — behind the same suburban walls.
2. Making a Murderer (2015–2018)
| Category | Information |
|---|---|
| Platform | Netflix |
| Creators | Laura Ricciardi, Moira Demos |
| Focus | Steven Avery’s wrongful conviction and his subsequent murder charge. |
| Impact | Sparked widespread outrage and petitions for legal reform. |
This iconic docuseries delves into wrongful conviction amid institutional corruption, exploring how justice systems can fail the innocent. Themes of power misuse and racial bias, seen in The Perfect Neighbor, resonate strongly throughout Avery’s two-decade-long judicial ordeal.
3. Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan (2021)
| Category | Information |
|---|---|
| Platform | Netflix |
| Director | Olivier Megaton |
| Subject | Billy Milligan, the first person in U.S. history acquitted of major crimes due to Dissociative Identity Disorder. |
| Tone | Psychological and cinematic, blending interviews with dramatized visuals. |
This documentary blurs the lines between insanity and intent, presenting fragmented consciousness as both a defense and curse. If you were intrigued by the psychological unraveling and implicit bias in The Perfect Neighbor, Billy Milligan’s fractured persona offers another jaw-dropping case study of perception and law’s limitations.
4. The Staircase (2004–2022)
| Category | Information |
|---|---|
| Platform | Netflix |
| Director | Jean-Xavier de Lestrade |
| Details | The suspicious death of Kathleen Peterson and her husband Michael Peterson’s ongoing murder trial. |
| Style | True crime with courtroom access spanning two decades. |
The Staircase shares The Perfect Neighbor’s intimacy and realism, capturing legal nuance, grief, and personal contradictions. It also emphasizes documentary objectivity — letting viewers decide whether justice was truly served or manipulated.
5. The Keepers (2017)
| Category | Information |
|---|---|
| Platform | Netflix |
| Director | Ryan White |
| Core Narrative | Investigating the unsolved murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik and the widespread abuse cover-up in the Catholic Church. |
| Mood | Emotional, investigative, and deeply human. |
Fans of The Perfect Neighbor’s societal critique will connect with The Keepers. It examines how institutions conceal truth, allowing systemic abuse to persist. The women investigating the crime embody community resilience and emotional courage — much like Ajike Owens’s family seeking justice.
6. The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez (2020)
| Category | Information |
|---|---|
| Platform | Netflix |
| Directors | Brian Knappenberger |
| Case | The systemic neglect that led to 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez’s torture and death. |
| Core Message | Exposes government and societal apathy toward child welfare. |
This documentary is both heartbreaking and essential. It exposes failure at every level — from child protective services to courts — paralleling The Perfect Neighbor’s critique of avoidable tragedy caused by bureaucratic blind spots and apathy.
7. The Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (2022)
| Category | Information |
|---|---|
| Platform | Netflix |
| Director | Rachel Dretzin |
| Focus | The rise and fall of Warren Jeffs and the FLDS fundamentalist cult. |
| Notable Aspect | Rare survivor testimonies from women breaking decades of silence. |
Religion, control, and extremism weave this unnerving story of systematic grooming and faith manipulation. Its chilling tone resonates with Gandbhir’s portrayal of community fear in The Perfect Neighbor — capturing what happens when trust turns to terror.
What These Crime Documentaries Have in Common
| Theme | Description |
|---|---|
| Systemic Injustice | Both The Perfect Neighbor and these documentaries reveal how flawed structures enable tragedy. |
| Empathy and Accountability | By humanizing victims, they remind viewers that justice begins with recognition. |
| Raw Authenticity | Each title avoids sensationalism, using archival footage and firsthand accounts to tell unfiltered truths. |
| Emotional Resonance | More than crime — they explore what it means to live with trauma, truth, and silence. |
External Links
- The Perfect Neighbor – Official Netflix Page
- Sportskeeda – 7 Crime Documentaries to Watch if You Loved The Perfect Neighbor
- TIME – The Shocking Story Behind The Perfect Neighbor
Internal Links from TechnoSports.co.in
- Explore the best Netflix Originals and documentaries: TechnoSports Entertainment
- Dive into global true crime coverage and streaming insights: TechnoSports OTT Section
Final Thoughts
Netflix’s The Perfect Neighbor proves that real horror often lies not in fiction but in ordinary settings — among people we think we know. If this story moved you, these seven documentaries dive deeper into similar themes of justice, empathy, and the uncomfortable truths about modern humanity.
FAQs
Q1: What is The Perfect Neighbor on Netflix about?
It chronicles the 2023 shooting of Ajike Owens, a Black mother of four, by her neighbor Susan Lorincz in Florida. Directed by Geeta Gandbhir, the film highlights racial tension, misuse of self-defense laws, and failures in communal coexistence.
Q2: Which is the most emotionally powerful true crime docuseries similar to The Perfect Neighbor?
Fans often point to The Keepers and The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez for their emotional weight and deep systemic critique. Both explore the fine line between institutional neglect and societal responsibility — much like Gandbhir’s documentary.
