The confusion. The Demjanjuk case and the representation of the Holocaust
The Devil Next Door | Yossi Bloch and Daniel Sivan | 2019
Lior Zylberman

Abstract:

As part of an investigation into the representation of genocide in documentary film, this paper questions the representation of the Holocaust in the era of streaming platforms. Based on The Devil Next Door, a documentary miniseries produced by Netflix about the Demjanjuk case, we ask what effects and meanings are constructed by approaching this case from the formats of this platform, as well as by resorting to the logic of the true crime genre. In order to carry out the analysis, after presenting the case and the characteristics of audiovisual true crime, the miniseries is analyzed from its narrative on three levels: the place of the witness —the testimony of the survivor—, the presentation of the historical account —what will be called fast history— and the turn to the perpetrator. From the questions raised, it is concluded that the Holocaust is indeed already part of streaming culture, but new questions are still open: is this documentary miniseries an isolated production or does it mark the beginning of a new paradigm?

Key words: genocide | television program | memory | nazism | crime | identity.

This article is, for the time being, only available in Spanish: La confusión. El caso Demjanjuk y la representación del Holocausto.


NOTAS



Volumen 14 | Nº 3

NOVEMBER 2024
November 2024 - February 2025

Table of Contents