Geeta Gandbhir on Her Double Oscar Noms for "The Perfect Neighbor" & "The Devil Is Busy"

"The Perfect Neighbor" is built on 95% police body camera footage, spanning two years prior to the crime. This extensive material allowed the filmmakers to reconstruct the community's life before the tragedy and document the escalating tensions and Susan Lawren's aggressive, racist behavior, offering an unfiltered view of events that traditional interviews might not capture.

The film is about 95% police evidence. We received it from the family lawyers... it went back 2 years prior to the crime. And you never see this in this footage. We got to see this beautiful multi-racial intergenerational community as they were before before this terrible crime occurred.

Florida's 'Stand Your Ground' law permits individuals to use deadly force against a 'perceived threat' anywhere lawfully, without a duty to retreat. This legal framework is inherently dangerous because it allows personal biases to dictate what constitutes a threat, enabling individuals like Susan Lawren to act on manufactured fear and weaponized racism with potentially fatal consequences.

In Florida, the way that the law works is that you can, as long as you are anywhere lawfully... you can use deadly force to defend yourself against a perceived threat without the duty to retreat. So imagine how biases play into that because a threat can be perceived.

Gandbhir uses the ironic title "The Perfect Neighbor" to challenge Susan Lawren's self-perception and redefine true neighborliness. She argues that a 'perfect neighbor' is not quiet and unseen, but rather someone who is visible, cares for others, speaks up, and acts in solidarity, becoming an 'upstander' against injustice and encroaching authoritarianism.

Susan describes herself as the perfect neighbor. She says I'm quiet. I you never see me. I don't do anything. And I think there's irony in that because the perfect neighbor I believe is what you see in that community of neighbors who care for each other, who are visible, who speak up, and who are again are in close solidarity with each other.

"The Devil is Busy" provides a granular look at the daily operations and challenges faced by a women's healthcare clinic in Georgia following the Dobbs decision. By focusing on a clinic run predominantly by women of color and featuring a deeply religious security guard who champions reproductive freedom, the film offers a nuanced perspective on the ongoing battle for abortion access.

We wanted to make a film about the fall of Row versus Wade at the federal level, the Dobs decision and the impact. And this clinic in Georgia, which is run predominantly by women of color, felt like an incredible vehicle into that world. The film is representative of a day in the life.