The Good Neighbor

Name: The Good Neighbor
Director: Kasra Farahani
Released: 2016

Synopsis

Two high school filmmakers decide to create the illusion of a haunting on an unsuspecting neighbor.

50
Movie Nation
Landing a lead like Caan underscores the fact that there was the germ of a twisty, tough thriller here. It’s too bad the script and uncertain direction let The Good Neighbor down.
50
The Hollywood Reporter
Despite some clever touches, the derivative film doesn't manage to live up to its clever premise.
42
Consequence
Farahani is quite liberal crosscutting between the story’s varying point of views.... This manic style offers the film all of the necessary intrigue to make its story captivating, but it’s at the expense of being incredibly manipulative to its audience.
40
Variety
The script has some familiar, vaguely disapproving things to say about latchkey kids (both the teen leads are under-supervised by workaholic or absent parents), depersonalizing technology, and the pursuit of fatuous social-media fame. But there’s not much real suspense stirred here by a premise that straddles recent found-footage thrillers and “Rear Window.”
30
Village Voice
A film that — from its basic set-up to its dearth of tension — plays like the tedious inverse of Don't Breathe.
20
Los Angeles Times
Any movie that leeches the perverse fun out of illicit voyeurism, then tosses in a grim gotcha of an ending to make everyone feel worse, when the kids’ actions are distasteful enough, is worth avoiding.