A Normal Woman Review
Director: Lucky Kuswandi
Date Created: 2025-07-24 19:55
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A Normal Woman Review: Directed by Lucky Kuswandi and co-written with Andri Cung, this 2025 Indonesian psychological thriller on Netflix runs for 110 minutes and features a superb ensemble cast headed by Marissa Anita as Milla. She is ably supported by Dion Wiyoko, Gisella Anastasia, Widyawati, and Mima Shafa—each of whom brings the emotional substance in this complex narrative. The film revolves around into the life of an affluent woman who’s carefully constructed world starts crumbling when she is reminded of a long-buried trauma. It is a disease mystery at first, and then an unflinching, emotional ride of self-discovery and defiance of social constraints.
A Normal Woman Review
What struck me first is that Netflix A Normal Woman does not attempt to bludgeon you over the head with flashy moments or plot twists. Rather, it gradually draws you in with little things that are uncomfortably familiar—particularly for women attempting to balance family, looks, and personal identity. Milla, the protagonist, is apparently living a successful life. But behind the facade, her life is cold and controlled. She is supposed to behave right, look perfect, and keep her family’s reputation in line. Her breaking point is when her daughter is intimidated into plastic surgery. That one incident does something in Milla’s head and cracks it—and that’s where the real story begins.
What I appreciate most in this Indonesian film A Normal Woman is that it does not take advantage of mental collapses as a form of entertainment. It uses them as expressions of long-term emotional pressure, which many women quietly suffer. The film shows how trauma, particularly if suppressed, will haunt a woman in strange and agonizing manners.
Psychological suspense is treated with such dignity by the movie. When Milla starts scratching her skin and experiencing absurd hallucinations, I wasn’t bewildered—I was frightened for her. Not for what was happening to her, but because nobody else around her would listen to her. Her husband attributes it to stress. Her in-laws are concerned about shame. Her mother is concerned about money.
I also found this section very moving. It made me understand how humans tend to close their eyes to signs when a person really hurts on the inside. And worse, how women are simply supposed to suffer in silence just so other individuals could feel comfortable.
As Milla’s past gradually is revealed, you realize the film’s secret is not paranormal. It is a personal secret. The identity that she thought was hers was imposed on her, piece by piece, and all for the purpose of being “acceptable” to the world. That made me cry, because the concept of totally remaking yourself just to be loved or admired is not fiction for most.
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Marissa Anita, playing Milla, delivers a natural and raw performance. She does not scream or shout to convey pain. Her contained responses, her shocked faces, and the way she keeps herself in check when she weeps—each of these was like stepping into her shoes. Mima Shafa, Angel, is the hope of the story. She is not a sidekick; she is a strength to Milla. Her courage and loyalty made me think about how much one person needs even one to stand by them when the world is against them.
What is unique about Netflix film A Normal Woman is that it does not attempt to make everything all right. It does not provide you with a nice, tidy ending. What it does provide you with is what is real—freedom, but at a price.
This movie also made me think a great deal about how appearance, specifically women’s appearance, is commodified. Milla’s narrative shows how risky this can be—not just in terms of physical danger, but in terms of psychological harm. It made me think about how often the greatest lies are the ones we are told when we are too young to be wiser.
While I did like the movie, I am not going to be praising it as flawless. There were times the pace lagged a little bit too much, and there were a couple of scenes that were just a little bit too lengthy. And Erika’s character arc did falter a little bit towards the end. But these are minor quibbles in a movie that otherwise has an enormous emotional resonance.
Indonesian Movie A Normal Woman Review: Summing Up
Netflix’s A Normal Woman is neither boisterous nor flashy but does its job. It’s a story of breaking free of the shackles of expectation, going back to self, and understanding that being “normal” sometimes means losing oneself. For me, this film was a gentle but persistent reminder that our brains put everything away in memory—everything that we try to leave behind. And sometimes the bravest thing that you can do is to finally look in the mirror and say, “This is who I am.”
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