A Normal Woman 2025 Movie Review
Netflix’s A Normal Woman, which debuted globally on July 24, 2025, marks a striking collaboration between director Lucky Kuswandi and actress Marissa Anita, their fourth feature film together. Set in Jakarta’s elite circles, the film centers on Milla, a seemingly perfect socialite whose carefully curated life begins to collapse under the weight of an unexplainable illness. At 110 minutes, the film embarks on a slow-burn descent into paranoia and identity crisis, using bodily breakdown as a metaphor for the fragility of social façades. The psychological unease at the core of the film draws heavily on its cultural specificity while resonating with global anxieties about health, conformity, and selfhood
Milla’s journey begins with small physiological anomalies—a rash, itching, nightmares—that escalate into grotesque manifestations like flaking skin and vomiting blood or glass. These symptoms are never clearly diagnosed, fueling ambiguity: is this a real illness or a psychosomatic unraveling? As she struggles to find medical answers, her relationships collapse. Her husband, a supplement entrepreneur, her controlling mother-in-law, and her socially polished inner circle gradually abandon her emotional and physical crisis. Isolation forces Milla to sabotage her own existence, pulling apart the threads of her perfect identity in the hope of uncovering something real beneath the surface illusion
The synergy between Kuswandi and Anita—both Indonesian artists with international pedigree—is evident. Kuswandi, a Cannes‑ and Berlinale‑recognized auteur, uses his homegrown cultural lens to explore themes such as mental health, beauty norms, and authenticity. Anita, former journalist turned award‑winning actress, brings intellectual rigor and nuanced expressiveness to Milla, offering a deeply human portrayal of disintegration under societal expectations
Visually and tonally, the film juxtaposes luxury with decay: Milla’s glossy apartment and designer lifestyle become claustrophobic as hallucinations—like an enigmatic girl appearing at her doorstep and surreal nightmares—infect every frame. These sequences, intentionally disquieting, draw comparisons to Todd Haynes’s Safe (1995), another slow-burning meditation on sanitized anxiety and bodily betrayal. In both films, illness—and the society’s gaslighting response to it—becomes a tragic catalyst for existential collapse
Critically, the film has earned a reputation for precision and restraint. Jonathon Wilson, writing for Ready Steady Cut, praised the direction and script for delivering familiar thriller tropes with flourish and atmosphere: “A Normal Woman knows what story it’s telling and precisely how to tell it for maximum mystery and effect” On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds modest but positive ratings, mostly 3 to 3.5 out of 5, indicating critical acknowledgement of its strengths despite a limited number of total reviews
Nevertheless, many critics and viewers pointed to pacing issues. The film’s near‑two‑hour runtime feels overextended, especially for a story that could have been more potent at 90 minutes. Scenes often overstay their welcome, repeating central themes in different guises, slowing forward momentum to a crawl. Some outdoor sequences suffer from visibly cheap green screening, breaking immersion at critical moments. The plot hinges on a twist that some viewers find absurd rather than emotionally satisfying—one key revelation that undercuts built-up tension with a jarring tonal shift
Within Indonesia, local reviewers placed the film’s emotional and stylistic choices under closer scrutiny. IDN Times alluded to an undercurrent of stiffness in dialogue and character dynamics, noting that Milla’s family life feels contrived—perhaps intentionally, as a surface‑level perfection—yet ultimately distancing. That stiff performance style clashes with expectations of Indonesian familial warmth, leaving some domestic audiences feeling alienated from the film’s emotional core. The pivotal twist was described as overly absurd, undermining narrative credibility and emotional payoff. Characters besides Milla receive minimal development, rendering them one-dimensional and disposable, and the story never builds a satisfying cohesion around ensemble conflict or motivation
Among the nuances of A Normal Woman lies its critique of the enforced normalcy of society, particularly Indonesian elite structures. The film examines the pressure placed on women to adhere to beauty standards, to stay composed, and to perform perfection in sickness and in health. Milla’s illness becomes a revolt against this regime: an eruption of the suppressed body that cannot conform anymore. The script draws thematic inspiration from the book The Myth of Normal by Gabor and Daniel Maté, leveraging it to deepen its critique of how societies enforce arbitrary definitions of health and selfhood. It also addresses the prevalence of cosmetic surgery and body dysmorphia among Indonesian women—reflecting real surveys that suggest widespread self‑alteration to fit idealized norms. Kuswandi weaves these observations into Milla’s unraveling, giving the film a socio‑political edge beyond standard thriller mechanics
Still, some of the film’s ambitions feel unfinished. The supporting cast—while recognizable in Indonesia—offer limited impact. Their motivations are sketched but unresolved: the mother‑in‑law’s behavior, the husband’s neglect, the childhood pal Erika’s sudden reappearance—all lack sufficient backstory or nuance to resonate emotionally. In a narrative so fixated on Milla, everyone else feels cowed into serving her arc rather than living as fully drawn figures. This imbalance sometimes makes the film feel incomplete, as if character motives were sacrificed for atmosphere and metaphor
Despite these criticisms, A Normal Woman remains compelling for certain viewers. Its slow simmering of dread, the visceral physiological horror elements (itching, vomiting shards), and the visuals of decomposition all linger in the mind. Fans of psychological drama and social critique may find it more rewarding than horror audiences purely seeking shock. While it is not a leap forward from genre conventions, it carves out space via cultural specificity and sustained emotional tension. It asks: what happens when health fails you, when society rejects your pain, and when your identity fractures under scrutiny? These questions resonate broadly, even as the answers feel messy and partial
In sum, A Normal Woman is a stylistically assured yet narratively uneven descent into psychological disintegration, anchored by Marissa Anita’s intense central performance and Lucky Kuswandi’s sharp directorial sensibility. While its pacing drags and supporting characters feel thin, its exploration of beauty standards, social pressure, and the unreliability of the body as a vessel for identity offers thematic richness. In a streaming landscape full of formulaic thrillers, this Indonesian entry distinguishes itself through cultural texture and emotional boldness, even if it doesn’t fully deliver on its ambitions. Though sometimes rigid and frustrating, it is worth watching for those curious about international perspectives on mental health, gender roles, and the cost of appearing “normal.”
If you enjoy slow-burning psychological dramas with strong female protagonists, unsettling body horror imagery, and sociocultural commentary, A Normal Woman offers a haunting, provocative experience. But if you prefer tightly plotted narratives or emotional payoff across an ensemble, you may find it wanting in resolution and character depth.
