Love, Your Neighbour (2023)

• social
• documentary

Logline

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jethro Westraad returns to Durban, South Africa, only to see his neighborhood completely isolated. He strikes up discussions about security, racial profiling, and guard dogs over their intercom.

Plot Summary

Amidst the COVID-19 lockdown, a filmmaker attempts to connect with his neighbours through their intercom systems. Set in the upper-class suburbs of Durban, the film explores the façade of the community, capturing houses lined with high-voltage electric fences, warning signs and dogs ready to attack at any semblance of human presence. In a neighbourhood overcome by security and surveillance, a critique exists of what a community looks like in the face of a crisis, and how paranoia turns people towards creating physical, social, and emotional barriers. From the crime watch group complaining about Vervet Monkey vigilantes, to a neighbour blasting eagle noises on a loudspeaker to scare them away, the absurdity of the suburban white picket fence comes to life. Love, Your Neighbour is a tongue-in-cheek love letter to South African suburbia, exploring the desire to connect and communicate in a time of restriction, regulation, and isolation.