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A Woman Called Mother

Name: A Woman Called Mother
Director: Randolph Zaini
Released: 2025
Duration: 119 min

Representation Score

9.1/10

Excellent

2025

Director

Randolph Zaini

Runtime

119 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

A Woman Called Mother distinguishes itself by dismantling the sanctity of the domestic sphere. It replaces the comforting cliché of the stable mother with a figure of psychological volatility and terror. This subversion provides a complex look at maternal ability to act and instability. The film also leverages modern digital folklore to ground its horror in contemporary social textures. By centering on Indonesian perspectives and local casts, it avoids Western-centric horror clichés, offering a culturally specific exploration of ritual and possession. Ultimately, the film succeeds in using psychological horror to critique traditional family structures. It moves beyond simple scares to explore the breakdown of social and religious stability through the lens of mental health and domestic dysfunction.

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Category Breakdown

Does A Woman Called Mother have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film explores unconventional sexual dynamics and boundary-crossing regarding a son's private life. While it doesn't explicitly depict queer identities, it challenges conservative social norms through these themes.

How does A Woman Called Mother portray gender?

Good

The story subverts traditional hierarchies by centering on a strong woman named Vira. It challenges the archetype of the nurturing matriarch by portraying Yanti as a source of violence and instability.

How racially and ethnically diverse is A Woman Called Mother?

Good

As an Indonesian production, the film offers a non-Western perspective on horror. The predominantly local cast provides a narrative rooted in Southeast Asian social structures.

How does A Woman Called Mother represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The narrative deconstructs nuclear family ideals by framing motherhood through terror and violence. Rituals and demonic possession suggest a critique of traditional social and religious orders.

Does A Woman Called Mother include disability representation?

Good

Mental health and neurodivergence are central to the plot via Yanti's breakdown. The film treats her psychological state as a primary driver of the narrative rather than a secondary device.

Present on Screen

Subverts traditional gender roles by portraying motherhood as a source of instability rather than comfort.
Provides a non-Western perspective on horror through its Indonesian setting and local cast.
Integrates mental health as a central, driving force of the narrative rather than a mere plot device.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of non-straight identities despite exploring unconventional sexual dynamics.
Does not explicitly explore diverse racial blending within the narrative context.

Official Synopsis

After her father’s death, Vira’s mother has a mental breakdown. To start fresh, the family moves to a new city and opens a hair salon together. While the family attempts to adjust to their new lives, Vira’s mother, Yanti, begins exhibiting strange, violent behavior reminiscent of her mental breakdown and becomes particularly preoccupied with her son’s sex life. Vira begins to investigate the strange occurrences and discovers that a dangerous ritual and a demonic possession are just the tip of the iceberg.

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