A Normal Woman (2025) is a searing psychological drama that conceals a haunting identity crisis beneath a veneer of domestic bliss, polished perfection, and suffocating social image. The film follows Milla, a seemingly flawless housewife married to Jonathan, living under the suffocating control of her wealthy, image-obsessed mother-in-law, Liliana. On the surface, Milla appears to have it all — a picture-perfect home, a devoted husband, a beloved daughter, and a life straight out of a glossy magazine spread. But beneath this curated facade, Milla is quietly unraveling. Plagued by vivid hallucinations, mysterious rashes, and recurring visions of a girl named Grace, Milla’s fragile reality begins to fracture, revealing long-buried secrets she’s spent years suppressing.
As the truth claws its way to the surface, Milla — with the help of her perceptive daughter Angel and Erika, a visiting makeup artist and old friend who recognizes her as someone she once knew — pieces together the shards of a life she no longer understands. What emerges is a harrowing confrontation with a past she can no longer deny. The climax is as cathartic as it is devastating, turning Milla’s private breakdown into a raw, haunting reclamation of her own voice and identity.
A Normal Woman is a gut-wrenching journey through memory, buried trauma, and the quiet horror of realizing you may not be who you thought you were.
This article contains spoilers.
A Normal Woman (2025) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
The film opens with a monotonous vibe, accompanied by an underlying unease in the characters’ behaviours. The story begins with Milla waking up early to start her day. Before everyone wakes up, Milla sets the dining table. By then, Milla’s mother-in-law, Liliana, had ordered some flowers for the upcoming photoshoot. It is evident that Millas’s husband, Jonathan, is a mama’s boy, and Liliana controls the household.
The photoshoot is for a high-end magazine. The interviewer is in awe of Jonathan and Milla. The two of them met in church, and although Milla’s family comes from a humble background, it didn’t matter to Jonathan’s family, as Milla is a devoted wife. That night, Milla wakes up with a nightmare, and in the dream, Milla sees a little girl with a bloodied face calling Milla, Grace. The next morning, Irah (the Caretaker) doesn’t cook liver, worried about Liliana’s cholesterol, so they replace the liver with minced meat.
Later, Milla’s mom, Novi, calls Milla asking for money. It seems Novi has a habit of gambling, and now Jonathan is unwilling to encourage Novi. On social media, Jonathan conducts numerous brand promotions alongside Milla. At breakfast, Liliana has booked a makeup artist for her 70th birthday. Furthermore, Liliana suggests Angel (Milla’s daughter, also considered ugly) get plastic surgery.
When Liliana spits her food, Angel calls Liliana a drama queen and leaves the dining table. When Milla goes to console Angel, Angel seems to be into the idea of plastic surgery. This makes Milla panic. The reason Angel is interested is that people online post hateful comments about Milla based on her appearance. In that stressful situation, Milla starts to scratch her neck so much that she begins to bleed. Later, Milla meets with Jonathan’s friends’ wives. Listening to their talk, Milla starts to scratch her neck and bleeds a lot.
What happens to Milla’s health?
In the washroom, Milla hallucinates that she sees blood and glass pieces. Once again, Milla sees a girl, Grace. When Jonathan enters the bathroom, he tells Milla that there isn’t blood or glass there. After conducting a medical examination, the results show that Milla is physically fine, but the scratching is likely due to stress. That night, Jonathan behaves as if Milla had committed a crime, becoming stressed. While praying, Jonathan opens a chapter about how one should be a devoted wife. So, Milla apologises and they make love. During lovemaking, Jonathan notices the rash and becomes disturbed. So they go to bed. The next morning, Milla woke up late as she had taken her medicines. This makes Liliana angry.
The scratching gets worse. As the party planners are talking, Milla leaves to take medicine. Immediately, Milla vomits, and she thinks she vomited blood. Seeing Milla, Angel is scared. When Milla wakes up, Jonathan explains that this occurred because Milla took the medicine on an empty stomach. Once again, Milla starts to talk about Grace. They now hold a prayer as Liliana thinks Milla is not going to church enough, which is why Milla is going through this.
The next morning, when Jonathan wakes Milla, one side of Milla’s face is covered in rashes. At breakfast, Liliana behaves as if Milla has no reason to be stressed. When Irah brings soup, Milla sees scorpions in them. In anger, Milla eats for the sake of Liliana. It seems Irah has been taking care of Milla since she was a kid. While making a paste, Irah accidentally calls Milla Grace. When Milla questions Irah, she blames old age. Furthermore, Irah mentions Milla fighting with Novi over a headband.
What did Milla want as a child?
That night, Milla visits Novi to look for photographs, but can’t find anything. Even Novi does not reveal any information. Instead, Jonathan arrives to take Milla home. The next day, they call a priest and push Milla into the pool to release the devil from within her. This triggers something in Milla, as she recalls some forgotten memories. As Milla struggles to breathe underwater, she remembers being in a hospital. Immediately, Angel takes Milla away, and Milla confides in Angel, saying she feels she is Grace, but no one is revealing the truth to her. The next day, the makeup artist Erika arrives to do a test on Liliana. It seems she is into Jonathan. When Irah enters the room, Erika is pleased to see Irah, as Irah was working for Grace’s family.
Hearing this, Liliana says Irah has always been working for Milla. The only person suspicious of this is Angel. After doing Angel’s makeup and encouraging her to ignore the online haters, Angel asks about Grace. So, Angel asks Erika for help to talk to Milla. Erika and Milla were best friends during their childhood. The way Milla remembers Erika is by a hand gesture they would do as kids. In a flashback, we learn that Milla was involved in an accident and couldn’t remember anything.
However, Milla’s face had to undergo surgery. That night, Milla helps Hatta (Irah’s son) with gardening. Doing this makes Milla happy. At home, Erika remembers a conversation she had with Grace/Milla when she was a child. Growing up, Erika was the pretty one, so she hoped she would marry a handsome, wealthy husband. So, Erika promised to lend Milla makeup to make her look pretty, which would also help her find a good husband. However, Milla only wanted freedom.
What triggers Milla to remember her past?
Reflecting on her current situation, Erika is upset about how things have turned out. The next day, Erika chats with Liliana and indirectly reveals Milla’s plastic surgery. Later, Erika meets Jonatha and says Milla is going through some issues because of childhood trauma. Now, Erika shows pictures of her and Grace/Milla as kids. That night, Jonathan and Liliana confront Novi about everything that Milla overhears from outside the room. This makes Milla remember everything. Growing up, Milla was always called ugly, even by her mother.
One day, Milla wanted to wear a headband to church, but Novi threw it in the dumpster and told Milla that she wouldn’t become pretty by wearing it. At that time, some men were bringing in a huge mirror, which they accidentally dropped, and Milla was right there. The glass pieces poked Milla’s face. Using this as an opportunity, Novi got plastic surgery for Milla. After the surgery, Milla/Grace could not remember anything before the accident. So Novi gave Grace a new name, Milla, and they moved out of their town.
Even though Milla didn’t know any of this and only remembered it then, Jonathan blames Milla for hiding the truth, and he locks her in the room. This makes Angel angry. The next day, Erika arrives to keep Liliana occupied before the party starts. Later, Erika offers to bring food to Milla. The only person who can see Erika’s true colours is Angel.
In the room, Milla pushes the food away and asks Erika why she is enjoying this situation. Erika says it’s for survival. So, Milla dresses up Erika like Milla and sends her to the birthday party. Just as Liliana is about to cut the cake, Milla arrives all dressed with the rashes all over her face. Seeing Milla, Jonathan becomes embarrassed and asks her to return to the room. Instead, Milla snatches the knife and slashes the cake. After that, Erika consoles Liliana and Jonathan. Seeing the hanging image of Milla and Jonathan, Erika poses in front of Milla, giving the same pose.
A Normal Woman (2025) Movie Ending Explained:
After the incident, Jonathan goes online and acknowledges that Milla has a mental health issue. Later, Milla tells Irah and Hatta that she wants to go with Hatta to the village and be amidst nature. So, Milla bids farewell to Angel. Even though Milla asks Angel to join her, Angel refuses, saying she will handle her life, and if Angel needs Milla, she will find her.
The next day, Jonathan and Liliana leave the house, so Milla packs her bags. Just as Milla is about to leave, Novi stops Milla, asking for payback for the plastic surgery. The only thing Novi cares about is the money Milla can get from Jonathan. In anger, Milla cuts her face and pushes Novi, making the glass shatter. Thankfully, Angel and Irah ask Milla to leave. Now, Milla lives a pleasant life in the village, surrounded by nature.
There is a great deal to unpack in this film, as so much of it works on a metaphorical level. Let’s begin with its commentary on social media — an issue that feels painfully relevant today. Hate comments can shatter a person’s self-esteem and distort the way they see themselves, which is exactly what happens to Angel. When that hate is aimed at someone who comes from a family that values society’s opinion above all else, the damage only deepens. Liliana’s casual suggestion that Angel get plastic surgery — and Angel’s willingness to consider it — shows just how toxic this obsession with appearance and social approval can be.
Then there is the question of “ugliness.” We say beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, but that does not give anyone the right to weaponize their judgment to tear someone down. The film lays this bare, holding up a mirror to the culture of ‘pretty women’ and punishes those who don’t conform. It exposes the hollow promise behind the fantasy of the “perfect” woman and her wealthy husband. Beneath that shiny image lurks a brutal truth: in this world, wealth and beauty come with power — and power dominates every aspect of domestic life. Once you’re under its thumb, it never truly lets you go. The film captures this reality with haunting precision.
By the end, I found myself wishing we could see what ultimately became of Erika — though perhaps she did win over Liliana and Jonathan in the way she had dreamed of since childhood. Milla, meanwhile, had spent years trapped in a life that stripped her of feeling, functioning more like a machine than a person, until she finally found the freedom she’d longed for since she was a child. Her story delivers a powerful message: your path is yours alone, and it is worth fighting for.
As children, we often have a sharper instinct for what brings us joy — but somewhere along the way, we lose that voice. Yet if we listen closely enough, it will always guide us back to who we really are. Even Milla’s rashes feel symbolic: a physical manifestation of what happens to the body under stress and suppressed unhappiness. The constant itch is her mind and body screaming to break free and breathe again. Fittingly, in the final scene, her rashes have vanished. Surrounded by nature in a quiet village, she has reclaimed her peace — and with it, herself.
