The Perfect Neighbor - 1 nomination

 

• Best Documentary Feature: Geeta Gandbhir, Alisa Payne, Nikon Kwantu, Sam Bisbee

If you’re a big fan of true crime, you’ll love this one. A woman lives in a communal area where children run around the yard and play and laugh and live life. She doesn’t love the neighbor kids and she constantly yells at them, throws things at them, and generally harasses them. But over time, she ratchets up the abuse, takes an ipad, and over and over again, their parents come to ask her to stop overstepping. These are, after all, children playing in the yard - not at 2 a.m. but whenever they were outside. And at some point, one of the moms goes over to talk, and she pulls a gun and kills her. This being a “stand your ground” state, she figures she can claim that she was afraid and get away with wielding a deadly weapon and murdering a neighbor without consequence.

This excellent documentary asks us to think about what justice means, how communities come together and support one another, and the difficult conversation about race and what people assume they will and won’t get away with. Even if you doubt any disparity in the justice system for different people, you have to ask the question, why might I be nervous that a murderer won’t be held accountable in a situation like this?