Konstruksi Narasi Tandingan dalam Dokumenter Ice Cold: Murder, Coffee, and Jessica Wongso

Abstract

The 2016 murder case of Wayan Mirna Salihin, which implicated Jessica Kumala Wongso, drew extensive media attention in Indonesia, shaping a master narrative that positioned Jessica as guilty even before the legal process concluded. In 2023, Netflix released the documentary Ice Cold: Murder, Coffee, and Jessica Wongso, presenting a counter-narrative to that case. This study aims to analyze how the documentary constructs a counter-narrative against the master narrative surrounding the Jessica Wongso case. This study employed a qualitative approach with a descriptive research design, grounded in Bamberg and Andrews' concept of counter-narrative and Berger and Luckmann's theory of social construction as an interpretive framework. Data sources were determined purposively, using the documentary as primary data and related literature as secondary data. Primary data were obtained through observation and coding of the documentary across six analytical categories (dominant characters, conflict, point of view, visual evidence, verbal narrative, and viewer positioning), while secondary data were gathered through documentation study of academic journals and related news articles. The data were analyzed through the stages of coding, pattern grouping, interpretation of findings, and formulation of conclusions. Data validity was ensured through persistent observation and an audit trail. The findings show that the documentary reconstructs the chronology of events, presents sources previously given limited space in mainstream coverage, and raises doubts about the legal evidentiary process and the credibility of expert testimony, as mapped through an explicit comparison between elements of the media's master narrative and the documentary's counter-narrative. This narrative strategy does not explicitly assert Jessica's innocence but instead invites audiences to consider alternative interpretations while gradually shifting previously established public opinion. This study affirms the relevance of social construction theory and the concept of counter-narrative in reading documentaries as a discursive space that shapes contemporary social reality. These findings carry both academic significance, by enriching narrative media analysis with a social-construction perspective, and practical significance, by encouraging audiences to interpret legal-case coverage on media more critically.