Premiering July 24, 2025, on Netflix, A Normal Woman is a searing psychological drama that dissects the fractures beneath Indonesia’s elite. When Milla (Marissa Anita), a Jakarta socialite obsessed with perfection, becomes convinced a mysterious illness is consuming her, she systematically torches her curated life—alienating her husband, betraying friends, and exposing the rot behind her family’s glamorous façade. Directed by Lucky Kuswandi (Femme Fatale, A Copy of My Mind), the film merges body horror with social critique, framing Milla’s descent as a rebellion against the suffocating expectations of wealth, gender, and beauty in contemporary Southeast Asia.

With a cast of Indonesia’s brightest stars and rising talents, A Normal Woman transforms personal collapse into a haunting allegory for societal sickness. From glittering charity galas to hushed psychiatric clinics, each scene crackles with tension as Milla’s unraveling forces those around her to confront their own complicity in the illusion. Meet the ensemble navigating this treacherous world of silk and secrets.

The Cast of A Normal Woman

1: Marissa Anita as Milla

Marissa Anita, acclaimed for her raw intensity in Siti (2014) and Aruna & Her Palate (2018), delivers a career-defining performance as Milla. Anita’s Milla oscillates between icy control and visceral vulnerability—hosting flawless dinner parties while secretly documenting her “symptoms” in manic journals. Her physical transformation—gaunt cheekbones, trembling hands—mirrors the character’s psychological decay. Anita, a champion of feminist narratives off-screen, drew from real accounts of women gaslit by medical systems to craft Milla’s terrifying isolation.

Anita trained with choreographers to embody Milla’s fractured grace, moving like “a music box winding down.” Her scenes with Widyawati (Liliana) are masterclasses in generational trauma, exposing how beauty standards weaponize maternal love. “Milla isn’t ill—she’s allergic to the poison they call ‘normal,'” Anita reveals. The role cements her as Indonesian cinema’s most fearless voice.

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2: Dion Wiyoko as Jonathan

Dion Wiyoko (My Stupid Boss, Love for Sale) portrays Jonathan, Milla’s bewildered husband, whose concern curdles into resentment as her behavior threatens his corporate ambitions. Wiyoko layers Jonathan’s arc with subtle cowardice—praising Milla’s elegance at parties while silencing her cries for help in private. His chemistry with Anita simmers with betrayal, particularly in a brutal scene where he labels her “hysterical” to dismiss her pain.

Wiyoko researched real spouses of patients with somatic disorders, uncovering how privilege enables denial. “Jonathan loves the idea of Milla, not her humanity,” he notes. His character’s pivot from protector to antagonist becomes the film’s moral spine.

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3: Gisella Anastasia as Erika

Gisella Anastasia, pop icon turned actress (Imperfect: Karier, Cinta & Timbangan), stuns as Erika, Milla’s “perfect” sister-in-law whose Instagram-ready life masks her own despair. Anastasia’s Erika weaponizes faux concern, orchestrating interventions to cloak her envy of Milla’s unraveling freedom. Her performance—all sharp smiles and sharper nails—exposes the violence of performative empathy.

Anastasia channeled her own experiences with public scrutiny for the role. A montage juxtaposing Erika’s curated posts with secret binge-eating episodes becomes a damning critique of influencer culture. “Her toxicity wears lipstick,” Anastasia states. Her climactic confrontation with Milla in a neon-lit nightclub shatters the family’s artifice.

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4: Mima Shafa as Angel

Mima Shafa (A Man Called Ahok, Gundala) captivates as Angel, Milla’s only true friend—a struggling artist whose authenticity terrifies the elite. Shafa’s Angel serves as Milla’s fractured mirror, urging her to “burn the gilded cage” while grappling with her own exploitation by the same system. Their bond, tested when Milla sabotages Angel’s gallery opening, is the film’s bruised heart.

Shafa improvised dialogue in Jakarta’s underground art spaces to capture Angel’s rebellious spirit. Her monologue about “pain as the only honest art” reduces Milla—and viewers—to tears. “Angel isn’t a saint; she’s a survivor refusing to apologize for existing,” Shafa explains.

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5: Widyawati as Liliana

Widyawati, Indonesian cinema legend (Cinta Pertama, 1973), commands as Liliana, Milla’s formidable mother. Widyawati’s Liliana wields tradition like a blade, dismissing Milla’s suffering as “weakness” while masking her own terminal illness. Her performance—steeped in Old Hollywood grandeur—reveals generational cycles of repression.

Widyawati drew parallels to her iconic roles where women sacrificed selfhood for society. A scene where she forces Milla into a corset for a gala, whispering “Pain is beauty,” becomes a horror tableau. “Liliana built her prison; now she guards the keys,” the icon reflects. Her final confession rewrites Milla’s understanding of legacy.

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6: Maya Hasan as Novi

Maya Hasan (Photocopier, Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash) delivers quiet brilliance as Novi, the family’s longtime maid who witnesses Milla’s unraveling. Hasan’s Novi moves through mansions like a ghost, her silent observations exposing the family’s hypocrisy. Her arc culminates in a defiant act of solidarity that challenges class hierarchies.

Hasan collaborated with domestic workers’ unions to portray Novi’s resilience authentically. Her wordless scenes—polishing silver as chaos unfolds—speak volumes about complicity. “Novi knows the truth: the rich are the sick ones,” Hasan asserts.

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7: Kiki Narendra as Nugros

Kiki Narendra (The Raid 2, Foxtrot Six) terrifies as Nugros, Milla’s psychiatrist who pathologizes her rebellion into “hysteria.” Narendra’s calm authority masks misogyny, prescribing sedatives instead of listening. His sessions with Milla—cold rooms with surveillance-like cameras—become psychological battlegrounds.

Narendra studied real cases of medical gaslighting, noting, “Nugros isn’t healing; he’s preserving the status quo.” His downfall, engineered by Milla’s cunning, is the film’s most satisfying justice.

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What is about:

Lucky Kuswandi’s direction merges clinical precision with surreal flourishes—Milla’s hallucinations of crawling skin are shot like haute couture nightmares. His collaboration with writer Andri Cung (Yuni, Before, Now & Then) ensures Milla’s journey critiques Indonesia’s beauty-industrial complex. Cung’s script, inspired by Schnitzler’s Fräulein Else, transforms a personal crisis into a roar against systemic silence.