Mother’s Day [2023] – Netflix Review (3/5)

MOTHER’S DAY on Netflix is a new thriller action movie from Poland (org. title: Dzień Matki). It’s a gritty and brutal movie with so much attitude and dark humor. Sharp runtime of 94 minutes. Read our full Mother’s Day movie review here!

MOTHER’S DAY is a new Netflix action thriller with a plot that will sound quite familiar if you’ve watched The Mother. However, the two do actually differ quite a lot. Mostly because this new Polish movie (org. title: Dzień Matki) is much darker and way more gritty.

DO CHECK OUT

Our review of The Mother which had Jennifer Lopez in the title role >

Think more along the lines of Atomic Blonde where the main protagonist will end up a bloody and bruised mess. The runtime of just one hour and 34 minutes also works really well for it. Plus, the closing scene (before a minor end credit scene) seems to heavily tease a possible sequel.

Continue reading our Mother’s Day movie review below. Find it on Netflix from May 24, 2023.

Don’t mess with Nina

In Mother’s Day, the story actually begins on that very holiday. However, the lead character Nina isn’t living the life of a parent. Quite the opposite.

Nina (Agnieszka Grochowska of The Woods) is a secretive ex-NATO Special Operations agent. She does have a son, but in order to keep him safe, he is living with his adoptive family. Yes, just like in The Mother.

However, when her biological son Max is kidnapped, she is forced to use all those lethal skills to save him. Especially as the kidnappers are a gang of ruthless gangsters who are working for a would-be dictator of sorts. It’s all quite over the top in the best of ways.

One of the gangsters in particular is wearing the most fascinating outfit I’ve seen in a while. It would probably do well at Eurovision. It’s certainly hard not to pay attention with all that skin showing and just some red strips of fabric to keep “the goods” in place.

Agnieszka Grochowska is amazing as Nina, but it’s actually when she’s faced with all the quirky characters that she shines even more. A brilliantly constructed story with all these characters crossing paths.

I didn’t know you could use carrots for that!

As I was watching Mother’s Day, I was illuminated several times by what could be used as a weapon. Sure, some of the objects are more common and have been used many times before. Such as a grocery bag full of cans or a heavy pan in a kitchen-based fight.

However, I had not imagined that I could use a carrot for that. And yet, it’s just one of the more alternative weapons. Everything goes when you’re on your own fighting a group of idiotic underground criminals. And yes, it’s made clear that many of them are quite dumb.

The very gritty and brutal moments of the fights are countered with both some dark humor and more serious scenes. Whether we’re talking relationship drama or simply the terrors of war. Mother’s Day is a good mix of many things.

Watch Mother’s Day (2023) on Netflix now!

Mateusz Rakowicz is the director of Mother’s Day on Netflix. Mateusz Rakowicz also wrote the screenplay with Lukasz M. Maciejewski. The two previously made the action-comedy The Getaway King (org. title: Najmro: Kocha, kradnie, szanuje) with that very same constellation.

Everything from the very quirky characters and the creative fight scenes worked for me. Also, as mentioned initially, I loved how the main character Nina is clearly marked by the many fights. It just makes it feel realistic – all while also being adequately over the top.

Had it been released in time for Mother’s Day, it would have been even better, but I suppose that time slot was reserved for The Mother. Which is silly really, as they could have worked perfectly as a double feature.

Mother’s Day (org. title: Dzień Matki) is out on Netflix from May 24, 2023.

Details

Director: Mateusz Rakowicz
Screenwriters: Lukasz M. Maciejewski, Mateusz Rakowicz
Cast: Agnieszka Grochowska, Sebastian Dela, Szymon Wróblewski, Jowita Budnik, Ewa Rodart, Konrad Eleryk