My father and qaddafi

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR

Love Thy Neighbor is a feature length documentary that explores the underground punk rock scene in Long Beach, California, focusing on a tight-knit group of musicians who live and work together in a shared community art house. The film captures how their collective space becomes both a refuge and a creative engine—where music, art, and mutual support collide.

Through intimate, vérité-style storytelling coupled with expressive skits and narrative cut-scenes, the documentary follows the artists as they write, rehearse, perform, and survive day to day. It highlights how punk is not just a genre for them, but a philosophy rooted in resistance, DIY ethics, and emotional honesty. As they confront mental illness, financial instability, fractured relationships, and the constant threat of displacement, their creative process becomes a lifeline and a form of rebellion. The filmmaker, Matt, coming from the outside, embraces these ethics and forges forward, becoming a member of the community while maintaining his individuality and expressing his full personality in his quest to create the great rock and roll documentary that his soul has always demanded. 

At its core, the film is about resilience and chosen family. It shows how collaboration and community allow these musicians to transform personal struggle into collective expression, forging meaning and identity in a world that often overlooks them. Set against the raw urban backdrop of Long Beach, California the documentary ultimately argues that art born on the fringes can be an act of survival—and a powerful declaration of hope against all odds.