A Normal Woman

The film A Normal Woman (2025), directed by Lucky Kuswandi, begins with a familiar premise — a seemingly successful woman begins to emotionally unravel — but leans into psychological suspense and body horror to expose the fractures of female identity in a society that demands perfection and silent compliance. From the very first scenes, it's clear something is wrong with Milla, the protagonist played with restraint and intensity by Marissa Anita. Her body begins to break out in rashes and eruptions with no clear explanation, in a process that becomes increasingly symbolic: what she represses psychologically erupts physically, making her inner turmoil impossible to hide. The tension builds not through external threats, but through internal pressures that accumulate like trapped floodwaters.

Kuswandi’s intent is evident: to use his protagonist’s body as the battlefield between a socially dictated image and a personal identity that she can no longer access. The screenplay, co-written with Andri Cung, blends elements of family melodrama with psychological thriller structure, set within the trappings of Indonesia’s upper-middle class. The luxurious home, the seemingly devoted husband, the daughter who demands attention and affection — all of these reinforce the contrast between external appearance and internal collapse. However, as the film progresses, the narrative proves to be predictable and, to a certain extent, complacent. Tensions are telegraphed early on, which causes the final climax to lose much of its emotional impact. There is no real twist to destabilize the viewer; instead, there is the confirmation of what we suspected all along.

Even so, the film deserves recognition for turning bodily horror into a metaphor for anxiety, repression, and the emotional burnout caused by rigid social expectations. Makeup and visual effects contribute to this transformation, though some outdoor scenes—especially those relying on chroma key—lack polish and undermine immersion. The film's most striking moment is a scene in which Milla stares into a mirror and desperately tries to tear the blemishes from her face. It encapsulates the film’s thematic core: the desperate urge to erase visible pain, to hide suffering in order to preserve an image of normalcy. Here, Kuswandi’s direction is at its sharpest—capturing psychological collapse through physical breakdown, altered breathing, and surrounding silence.

Marissa Anita delivers one of the strongest performances of her career. Her physical control, minimalist gestures, and emotional precision make Milla a tragic yet composed figure, always on the verge of falling apart. Anita keeps the viewer engaged even as the script starts to spin in circles or resorts to oversimplified developments. The relationship between Milla and her daughter Angel is also a highlight. It brings the story some emotional authenticity, avoiding cliché by offering moments of both tenderness and unease, revealing how motherhood can feel like both affection and entrapment.

The film’s pacing, however, is one of its major flaws. At 110 minutes, the story often drags and revisits the same emotional beats without offering enough variation to justify its length. The cinematography, though elegant and effective in enclosed settings, can’t fully compensate for the slower passages. The repetition of visual metaphors — mirrors, scars, silence — gives the impression that the film is more concerned with appearing profound than truly delving deep into its themes. This is especially clear in the finale, which attempts a symbolic resolution: the disappearance of Milla’s rashes signals a kind of internal reconciliation, but arrives with an almost melodramatic tone that dilutes its effect.

Still, A Normal Woman partially delivers on its promise. It’s a psychological thriller that strives to represent emotional exhaustion through disturbing imagery and physical symptoms. Its strength lies in how it visualizes psychic pain in the body. But it lacks narrative boldness and originality, falling into patterns that are increasingly common in Netflix's genre offerings. It’s a film worth seeing for its symbolic ambition and for Anita’s nuanced performance, but it is unlikely to leave a lasting mark. In the end, its most resonant idea is that horror doesn’t always come from external monsters, but from the failing effort to appear normal in a world that demands everything, all the time.

A Normal Woman (2025 / Indonesia)
Direction: Lucky Kuswandi
Screenplay: Lucky Kuswandi, Andri Cung
Cast: Marissa Anita, Dion Wiyoko, Gisella Anastasia
Running Time: 110 min.