The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but not for the feuding folks at the center of the HBO docuseries Neighbors.
Created by Harrison Fishman and Dylan Redford, the series explores the often bizarre and deeply personal conflicts between neighbors across the U.S. Those range from disputes over stray cats and extravagant Halloween decorations to a 71-year-old man’s decision to wear a yellow thong when he exercises outdoors.
In the fourth episode of the series titled White Privilege Card, Fishman and Redford introduce audiences to San Antonio residents Jeff Wentworth, a former Texas senator, and Alexa Person, an author and self-described alchemist.
Their dispute centers on a 9-foot concrete wall that Person has built around her home in the affluent Oak Park-Northwood neighborhood in northeast San Antonio. Wentworth wants the wall, which is across the street from his home, torn down. He compares it to Osama Bin Laden’s compound.
Meanwhile, Person says she needs the wall to protect her psychic abilities from dark forces. Their encounter comes to a head at a San Antonio zoning board meeting, but not before they turn their spat into a saga.
During a recent interview with the Current, Fishman and Redford, who spent three weeks in San Antonio, talked about what initially attracted them to the story of Wentworth and Person, and why neighbor disputes are a universal battleground.
Neighbors is currently streaming on HBO Max.
At what point did you realize that this fence dispute wasn’t just a quirky neighborhood disagreement?
Dylan Redford: I think it happened when our head of casting started doing research and digging into the deeper layers of who Jeff and Alexa were. Once we got a better understanding of Jeff’s political history and his role in Texas politics, we thought it was so interesting. The research on Alexa also unearthed all the books she had written and this whole world she was involved in. The contrast between these two people living in very distinct worlds felt so unique.
How did you approach presenting Alexa’s metaphysical beliefs without turning her into a caricature?
Harrison Fishman: The wall in some ways is like an extension of Alexa. It’s a barrier between her and the outside world and all these forces she feels might put her in danger. To someone just passing by, or to Jeff, it’s just a giant wall. But to Alexa, it’s like a force field. That idea is endlessly fascinating. It’s easy for us not to make caricatures of any of these people because we genuinely want to understand them.
DR: Our whole show is trying to understand why something that seems so small has gotten so big. To understand why Alexa has her wall, you have to understand her spiritual beliefs. That’s the only way to empathize with where she’s coming from and why she needs it. Our approach is always in service of a deeper understanding of the conflict — whether it seems crazy to you or not.
This story takes place in a highly affluent part of San Antonio. Did you worry that there might be a disconnect with viewers since this is a conflict between two wealthy people and could be considered a first-world problem for those who don’t have the resources to pursue a legal battle like this?
HF: At its core, these things might seem ridiculous on the outside, but for the people on the inside, it’s consuming. It makes sense to look at it from the outside and see it as a first-world problem. It’s like, “Are these people arguing over a little patch of grass?!” But it’s not like they’re faking it. They’re feeling real emotions.
DR: One of the great equalizers for the public is having to navigate government bureaucracy. When Alexa goes into that zoning hearing, she might exist in a certain social class. Some people are getting farming zoning permits and others are getting remodeling permits. It was part of the reason Jeff wanted to do the show — to show that everyone has equal access and that if you make enough noise, anyone can get things done. Whether you’re super rich or not, everyone ends up in that same zoning board room where they have to make their case. Neighbor disputes are not something limited to a certain class. Everyone deals with having to negotiate your living space with someone else.
After spending so much time on this subject, what would you say are some of the larger takeaways that you hope viewers walk away with when they see Neighbors?
HF: There’s a universal nature to neighbor disputes. Everyone has to try to coexist with their neighbor no matter what your class or race or where you live. There have been a few people who have watched the show and told us that it makes them grateful for their positive neighbor relationships. It’s nice to make people aware that they even have neighbors.
DR: Everyone is capable of being in a neighbor dispute. There’s something that happens where people get access to their primal desire to defend what’s theirs. Once that’s activated, you’re capable of doing things that you never thought you’d be capable of doing. It’s easy to watch the show and say, “These people are all crazy!” But I guarantee you, anyone put in the position that some of these neighbors are put in would do things just as crazy.