A Normal Woman – Review | Netflix (3/5)

A NORMAL WOMAN on Netflix is a new psychological thriller about a woman struggling to be enough while trying to recall her past. It’s from Indonesia, but a lot of English is spoken throughout. Read our full A Normal Woman movie review here!

A NORMAL WOMAN is a new Netflix thriller from Indonesia. If you’re worried about any language barrier, don’t be. Obviously, you can choose the dubbed version (though I never recommend this), and also, much English is spoken throughout the movie.

This is a psychological thriller with deep horror elements. A woman starts to feel an itch, as the pressure of being perfect becomes too much. This leads to a rash covering her face, which coincides with her trying to remember the childhood that is lost in her memories.

Continue reading our A Normal Woman movie review below. Find it on Netflix from July 24, 2025.

The struggle for perfection

On the surface, Milla has everything she could possibly want. She’s married into a successful family, which has turned her into a socialite. However, she is clearly at the bottom and effectively exists as a meek housewife who can never quite manage to be perfect.

Also, she has trouble remembering her childhood, so she’s not sure what she’s coming from, only that she should be very happy to be where she is.

As her daughter is ever more criticized for her appearance, it gets to Milla. She reacts to the pressure both she and her daughter are under, in a physical way. It manifests in the form of a rash. Also, she seems to be hallucinating and seeing strange things.

What is going on? And who is Grace? A little girl who keeps appearing in both dreams, nightmares, and hallucinations for Milla.

A familiar face in the lead

In the all-important lead role as Milla, we see Marissa Anita. If you’re familiar with Indonesian horror productions, then you should find her face very familiar.

Marissa Anita was in Joko Anwar’s Impetigore as well as his Netflix horror anthology Joko Anwar’s Nightmares and Daydreams. Also, you may recognize her from the HBO horror anthology Folklore.

Whether you recognize her or not, Marissa Anita delivers a strong and dark performance as Milla in A Normal Woman.

Watch A Normal Woman on Netflix now

Lucky Kuswandi is the director of this new Netflix thriller. With a story that offers moments of pure physical horror alongside a psychological thriller plot, most genre fans should enjoy this one.

The screenplay comes from director Lucky Kuswandi and screenwriter Andri Cung. I’m not sure I’ve watched anything by them before, but the storytelling of A Normal Woman is very effective. It is a little too long and slow-paced for me, but still worth watching.

Also, it does get very dark and has moments that will make you want to both itch and long for her to stop scratching her skin. If this feeling seems familiar, it may be because you’ve watched Control Freak on Hulu. And if not, then do check out that one as well.

A Normal Woman is on Netflix from July 24, 2025.

Details

Director: Lucky Kuswandi
Writers: Andri Cung, Lucky Kuswandi
Cast: Widyawati, Marissa Anita, Gisella Anastasia, Dion Wiyoko, Mima Shafa