The film is told in chronological order with limited narration, mostly using pre-existing police footage such as bodycams, and follows both the lead-up to the killing, the incident itself and its aftermath, from the neighborhood disputes eventually escalating into the killing to Lorincz's conviction for manslaughter, among other charges. As the killing itself did, the film notably questions the systemic bias in how Florida's stand-your-ground laws are applied.
The film had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, where it won the Directing Award. It had a limited theatrical release in the U.S. on October 10, prior to streaming globally on Netflix on October 17. It received widespread acclaim for its production, direction and editing, and its effective questioning of the circumstances surrounding Owens' death and similar incidents. At the 98th Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Documentary.
On June 2, 2023, in Ocala, Florida, Ajike "AJ" Shantrell Owens was shot and killed by Susan Lorincz. The film explores disputes leading up to the shooting by using bodycam footage. It includes footage from a selection of the multiple times that deputies from the Marion County Sheriff's Office responded to: calls from Lorincz in 2022 and 2023; a call from an auto repair operator in March 2023, after Lorincz repeatedly rammed her pickup truck into the gate at his workplace; a visit by Lorincz to report her complaints in person at the Sheriff's Office in May 2023; the multiple 911 calls, including from Lorincz, when she shot Owens on June 2 2023; and Lorincz being questioned by Sheriff's detectives at the station. Sheriff's Office footage from the next few days, such as Lorincz retrieving items from her house, and from her further interviews at the Sheriff's Office, is included.
MY RATING: 10 OUT OF 10
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