All minor nuances aside, this film is a prime example of what the standard should be even if it's a lower-budget production. The Good Neighbor has both drama and suspense. At its core, the film is a crime-thriller. It reminded me a bit of "I Am Not a Serial Killer", which was also just released this year. Both are very fine movies that blend genre elements and have skillful writing, directing, acting and editing. They are extraordinarily sophisticated in style and will exceed most viewers initial expectations.
There are teen friends, one whom has wealth and technical expertise at his disposal and his eyes on MIT, and his friend who has plenty of ingenuity and fortitude and interest in social research but is from a "broken home". The pair undertake a social-psychological experiment, and use the grouchy, solitary old grump of the neighborhood as their unwitting subject. For their experiment, they equip the old grumps home with numerous hidden cameras and electrical devices in order to manipulate the grumps home appliances, fixtures, gadgets and such. They are then able to remotely control and view everything that occurs.
They soon realize that the old grump is a rather unusual subject. He has a basement securely locked from the outside, a mysterious visiting woman, no apparent fear towards the extreme tactics they make to convince him he's haunted, and he's unpredictability violent and destructive. One teen begins to regret conducting the experiment, the other one is determined that the old grump is hiding a dark secret. The teens watch, record and attempt to manipulate the old grump for weeks in hopes of revenge, online views, and uncovering the old mans secrets.
Throughout the film there are segments where a prosecutor speaks to and interrogates different people on the witness stand. This makes it clear that the "experiment" didn't play out so well. This film had me hypothesizing and thoroughly engaged. For once, my initial theory was completely off-track.
