Interview: ‘The Perfect Neighbor’ Director Geeta Gandbhir on the Impact the Oscar-Nominated Documentary Can Have and Already is Having

The Perfect Neighbor has done a rare thing for a documentary. The doc has become a crossover title, in that it’s not simply an Oscar nominee, but also something that casual Netflix viewers have taken in as well. By becoming that kind of a film, director Geeta Gandbhir has been able to have far more people paying attention to the issues she cares about than most documentarians. The movie is, unfortunately, still incredibly timely, so any opportunity to discuss it is a good one. On the heels of her Academy Award nomination, we spoke on Zoom about the work. Now, right after having taken the Best Documentary prize over the weekend at the Independent Spirit Awards, I’m excited to share my discussion with Gandbhir.

In my review of the documentary back at the New York Film Festival (here), I said the following about Gandbhir’s filmmaking:

Director Geeta Gandbhir uses the body-cam footage to weave a narrative that doesn’t give you quite as much detail as you’d like, but somehow gives you more than the style would suggest. The editing here is top notch, as Gandbhir herself never seems constrained or restricted by the footage. Instead, it seems to drive her, hoping we’re as upset by what we’re watching as she clearly is. At times, it even seems more like a thriller than a documentary, which is certainly a feather in the movie’s cap.

Below, you can hear my conversation with Gandbhir. We spoke of what she hoped to achieve with the film, the impact that the documentary is already having, and how the editing is done in such a way to bring in those who prefer narrative stories. The doc truly is a feat of editing, as well as filmmaker’s vision, so hearing her talk about it is actually quite wonderful. The movie is arguably the frontrunner to win Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars next month, so if you haven’t seen The Perfect Neighbor yet, head on over to Netflix and rectify that oversight immediately…

Here now is my interview with The Perfect Neighbor director Geeta Gandbhir. Enjoy:

The Perfect Neighbor is streaming on Netflix and nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards!