“master(s) of puppets..” : en narrativ analys av hur gärningspersoner konstrueras i true crime-dokumentärer

Sammanfattning

In this thesis a narrative analysis of two Netflix documentaries was conducted. The purpose of the study was to examine how narratives about a male and a female perpetrator were constructed through documentary representations. The analysis focused on how Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were portrayed in two separate documentaries that address the same interconnected criminal context. The study applied a narrative approach inspired by Riessman’s thematic, dialogic and performative perspective, combined with visual narrative analysis. Interviews, voice-overs, visual imagery, and editing were analyzed to examine how meaning, responsibility, and moral positioning were constructed. Theoretically the study uses narrative criminology and gender perspectives such as hegemonic masculinity and feminist criminology, specifically applying the concept of “double deviance” to illuminate how morality and gender intersect in the construction of guilt. The findings showed that the documentary portrays the perpetrators through vastly different narratives. The male is depicted through rationality, themes of power and systematic control. The female undergoes a gradual transformation from being introduced as vulnerable and in a position of dependence, to being reshaped as an active and manipulative actor. The true-crime genre on streaming platforms both produces and reproduces patterns of gendered crime reporting, by applying visual metaphors, affective expressions and authenticity markers, that transform legal guilt into moral judgements based on gender. The study thereby provides knowledge on how documentaries actively shape the audience’s perception of power and responsibility in modern crime narratives.