Jessica Wongso
Self (archive footage)
Overview
This documentary delves into the unanswered questions surrounding the trial of Jessica Wongso — years after the death of her best friend, Mirna Salihin.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
4 min readThe Trial That Never Ends
I’ve watched Ice Cold: Murder, Coffee and Jessica Wongso twice now, and both times I’ve found myself staring at the credits, waiting for some final revelation that never comes. That’s the point, I think. This isn’t a documentary that wraps up a mystery—it’s one that lingers in the unresolved, the way a bitter taste stays on your tongue long after the last sip.
The film opens with security footage from Olivier Café in Jakarta, grainy and timestamped. A young woman, Wayan Mirna Salihin, sits at a table with two friends. One of them, Jessica Wongso, orders an iced Vietnamese coffee.
Mirna takes a sip. Her face contorts. She collapses.
The footage cuts to black before the paramedics arrive, but the implication is clear: this was no accident. The coffee was laced with cyanide. The question that has haunted Indonesia for years—and now, thanks to Netflix, the world—is simple: Did Jessica Wongso do it?
The original trial in 2016 was a media spectacle, a real-life courtroom drama that played out on live television and dominated headlines for months. The prosecution painted Wongso as a scorned friend, motivated by jealousy after Mirna allegedly interfered in her relationship. The defense argued the evidence was circumstantial, the investigation flawed.
When the verdict came down—20 years in prison for Wongso—public opinion was split down the middle. Some saw justice served; others saw a miscarriage of it.
Ice Cold doesn’t claim to have the answer. What it does have is access—interviews with Wongso herself in prison, conversations with Mirna’s grieving family, and testimony from legal experts, journalists, and witnesses who were there. The film’s greatest strength is its refusal to simplify.
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsNetflix’s Ice Cold Reopens the Chilling Case of Mirna Salihin’s Death
The 2016 murder of Wayan Mirna Salihin—poisoned in a Jakarta café—shocked Indonesia and sparked a media frenzy. Now, Netflix’s Ice Cold: Murder, Coffee and Jessica Wongso (2023) revisits the case with fresh eyes, offering a gripping deep dive into the trial that convicted Wongso, Mirna’s friend, of the crime. latestnetflix.com's view is that Directed by Rob Sixsmith (The Raincoat Killer: Chasing a Predator in Korea), the documentary promises to unearth unanswered questions and new perspectives—including a rare prison interview with Jessica Wongso herself 
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A Case That Gripped a Nation
Mirna Salihin’s death was as dramatic as it was tragic. On January 6, 2016, the 27-year-old collapsed at Olivier Café in Jakarta’s Grand Indonesia Mall after sipping an iced Vietnamese coffee laced with cyanide. Security footage showed Wongso, her close friend, ordering the drink moments before Mirna took her fatal sip. The prosecution argued Wongso had motive—Mirna had allegedly interfered in her relationship—and opportunity, leading to her conviction in 2017. Wongso was sentenced to 20 years in prison, though she has maintained her innocence .
Ice Cold doesn’t just rehash the trial; it reframes it. The documentary includes interviews with Mirna’s family, legal teams, and key figures in the case, offering a 360-degree view of the evidence and controversies that still divide public opinion . For true crime fans, the film’s access to Wongso—who rarely speaks publicly—could be its biggest draw.
Behind the Scenes: Who’s Talking?
The documentary’s cast reads like a who’s who of the case. Mirna’s parents, Otto Hasibuan and Marcella Zalianty, appear alongside her siblings, Sandy and Edi Darmawan Salihin, who have long insisted on Wongso’s guilt . On the other side, Wongso’s defense team, including lawyer Otto Hasibuan (not to be confused with Mirna’s father), and criminology expert Prof. Eddy O.S. Hiariej, provide counterarguments 
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But the most anticipated voice? Jessica Wongso herself. The documentary features a prison interview with her, a rare chance to hear her side of the story unfiltered . Whether it will sway viewers—or deepen the mystery—remains to be seen.
Why This Case Still Haunts Indonesia
The Mirna Salihin murder wasn’t just a legal battle; it was a cultural moment. The trial was Indonesia’s first to be broadcast live, turning courtroom drama into must-watch TV. Social media exploded with theories, from botched police work to allegations of class bias (Wongso, an Australian permanent resident, was seen as an outsider in Indonesia’s elite circles) .
Ice Cold doesn’t claim to solve the case, but it does promise to challenge assumptions. With Sixsmith’s track record of meticulous true crime storytelling, the documentary could reignite debates about justice, media sensationalism, and the lingering doubts that still swirl around one of Indonesia’s most infamous crimes.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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