Nate At The Movies

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

With Oscars nominations being announced this morning, my second ever Oscars Death Race attempt has begun! In comparison to last year at this time, I’m a little bit behind because films that I thought were shoe-ins for a nom (like Wicked: For Good and No Other Choice) were snubbed, so the next seven weeks or so are going to be a grind. The journey started tonight with The Perfect Neighbor, a rare example of an Oscar nominee that Morgan got to before me, for obvious (true crime) reasons.

Like with Incident last year, there isn’t a ton to say about the craft of The Perfect Neighbor, a procedural largely consisting of body cam footage. I also can’t say this was a “good” or “enjoyable” film, because the dominant feeling was definitely anger. I won’t get into the politics of the affair, but it was ludicrous to watch Susan act so casual in the wake of a murder that she not only committed, but caused, in part, with her prejudiced behavior towards her neighbors. As someone who handles children and their occasionally frustrating behaviors on a daily basis, you are a grown woman, Susan; act like one!

The Perfect Neighbor did have a couple aspects going for it in comparison to Incident, and that starts with the cops. Given the delicate situation, repeated offenses, and the conduct of these parties, those officers were way more patient than they had any right being, which I admired. I also loved how they interacted with the children and kept it brutally real with Susan, echoing my own sentiments. I also quite admired how the adults in these children’s lives helped them process this tragedy, from their dad to the pastor at the memorial emphasizing that their mom made it clear that her children should not accept degradation.

The Perfect Neighbor was neither a fun watch nor a fun reminder of the bleak realities of our aggressively divided country, but it was powerful in its depiction of such. I’m not the big true crime fan that Morgan is, especially when any sort of dramatization is removed from the narrative. A story like this one stings more than anything, but it’s an important story to be aware of and share. This was a sad start to the Death Race, but a necessary one, too; I have such bad stamina when it comes to documentaries, so starting my race with one made sense. On to the next!