Agnieszka Grochowska
Nina
Overview
Nina, a former NATO special operations agent living in hiding, has to use all her deadly skills to rescue her son who has been kidnapped by ruthless gangsters. Finding Max is a double opportunity for her. A chance to feel the adrenaline rush again, and an opportunity to get back into the life of the son she had to abandon years ago.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
6 min readThe Carrot and the Knife: How Mother’s Day Turns a Kitchen Into a War Zone
I’ve seen this movie before. Not the exact one, of course—this is Mother’s Day, a Polish action-thriller from 2023, and it’s got Agnieszka Grochowska slicing through bad guys with the kind of efficiency that makes you wonder if she’s actually a former NATO operative in real life. But the bones of the story?
Oh, they’re familiar. A retired assassin (or in this case, a disavowed special ops agent) is pulled back into the fray when her child is kidnapped. The clock starts ticking.
The bodies start piling up. The audience leans in, waiting for the next brutal, beautifully choreographed fight scene. It’s Taken with a side of pierogi, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll spend the first twenty minutes rolling your eyes at the predictability of it all—right up until the moment you realize you can’t look away.
That’s the thing about Mother’s Day. It shouldn’t work. The plot is thin enough to see through, the villains are cartoonish in the way that only direct-to-streaming action movies allow, and the emotional beats—Nina’s guilt over abandoning her son, her desperate need to reconnect—are telegraphed with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
And yet. There’s something about the way this film commits to its own ridiculousness that makes it impossible to dismiss. Maybe it’s the fight scenes, which are so viscerally satisfying that they almost (almost) make up for the script’s shortcomings.
Maybe it’s Grochowska, who carries the film with a physicality that sells every punch, every wince, every moment of exhausted determination. Or maybe it’s the sheer audacity of a movie that asks you to take seriously a scene where a mother stabs a man in the eye with a carrot.
Let’s talk about that carrot. It’s not just a carrot, of course. It’s a symbol.
A middle finger to the idea that action movies need high-tech weaponry or elaborate set pieces to feel dangerous. Mother’s Day thrives on the mundane turned lethal. Beer cans become projectiles. Kitchen knives become extensions of Nina’s rage.
Even a simple wooden spoon gets its moment in the spotlight, used to bludgeon a henchman with the kind of crunchy sound design that makes you wince in sympathy. The film’s best sequence takes place in a kitchen, and it’s a masterclass in how to make a confined space feel like a battleground. The camera lingers on Grochowska’s face as she sizes up her opponents, her breath shallow, her eyes darting between threats.
Audience Opinions
Audience 6.5/10
"A tense but uneven Polish thriller that keeps viewers hooked despite its flaws."
The film’s gripping premise and strong lead performance by Agnieszka Grochowska draw praise, with many finding the tension and suspense compelling. However, some viewers feel the execution is uneven, latestnetflix.com argues, with pacing issues and underdeveloped side characters detracting from the overall experience.
What viewers praise
- Strong lead performance Agnieszka Grochowska’s portrayal is widely praised for adding depth and intensity to the film.
- Gripping suspense The thriller elements and tension are effective in keeping viewers engaged throughout.
- Unique premise The story’s setup is seen as fresh and intriguing, offering something different from typical thrillers.
Common complaints
- Uneven pacing Some viewers find the film’s pacing inconsistent, with moments that drag or feel rushed.
- Underdeveloped side characters Supporting characters are often criticized for lacking depth or meaningful contributions to the plot.
- Predictable moments A few twists and turns are seen as telegraphed or clichéd, reducing the film’s impact.
Recommended for
Polish thriller fans Suspense-driven story lovers Agnieszka Grochowska admirers Indie action-thriller seekers
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsPolish Action Flick Mother’s Day Delivers a Gritty, High-Octane Twist on the Badass-Mom Trope
Mateusz Rakowicz’s Mother’s Day (2023) storms onto screens as Poland’s answer to the Taken-style revenge thriller, but with a local edge. Starring Agnieszka Grochowska as Nina, a former NATO special operations agent turned fugitive, the film blends frenetic action with a mother’s desperate quest to save her kidnapped son. The result? A movie that’s equal parts cliché and adrenaline rush, latestnetflix.com maintains, according to early reactions 
.
A Familiar Plot, But With Polish Grit
The premise is well-trodden: a retired assassin (or in this case, ex-NATO operative) is forced back into the shadows when her child is snatched by ruthless criminals. Nina’s mission to rescue her son, Max, isn’t just about survival—it’s a shot at redemption, a chance to reconnect with the boy she abandoned years earlier 
. The film leans into the tropes of the genre, drawing comparisons to John Wick and Crank for its breakneck pacing and over-the-top action sequences . Yet, it carves out its own identity with a distinctly Polish underworld, complete with quirky gangsters and a raw, unpolished energy that sets it apart from Hollywood’s glossier offerings.
Grochowska, a veteran of Polish cinema, carries the film with a mix of steely determination and vulnerability. Her Nina isn’t just a killing machine—she’s a mother haunted by her past, and the film teases out that emotional core even as it indulges in high-stakes shootouts and hand-to-hand combat . The supporting cast, including Adrian Delikta as Max and Dariusz Chojnacki as a likely antagonist, rounds out the gritty atmosphere, though their roles are secondary to Grochowska’s show.
Rakowicz’s Signature Style: Crime Meets Dark Comedy?
Director Mateusz Rakowicz is no stranger to blending crime and comedy. His previous film, The Getaway King (2021), mixed heist elements with dark humor, and Mother’s Day seems to follow a similar playbook—at least in spirit. While the snippets don’t confirm outright comedic moments, Rakowicz’s filmography suggests he’s not afraid to inject levity into otherwise brutal narratives . Whether Mother’s Day strikes that balance remains a point of debate, but early reviews hint at a film that’s as entertaining as it is formulaic .
The director’s Gdańsk roots also appear to influence the film’s aesthetic. While the evidence doesn’t specify filming locations, Rakowicz’s work often draws from real-life Polish settings, grounding even the most outlandish plots in a tangible sense of place . For Mother’s Day, that could mean gritty urban backdrops or the kind of no-nonsense criminal underworld that feels authentic rather than stylized.
A Netflix Contender in the Badass-Mom Genre
Mother’s Day arrived in the wake of Netflix’s Extraction and The Mother, positioning itself as another entry in the "mom with a particular set of skills" subgenre. Letterboxd users have already drawn parallels, calling it a "duel of Netflix badass-mom flicks" . The film’s success hinges on whether it can stand out in a crowded field, and early impressions suggest it does—if only by leaning into its Polish identity and Grochowska’s commanding performance.
That said, the evidence is light on behind-the-scenes details. There’s no confirmation of budget, shooting challenges, or whether the film faced delays (a common issue in post-pandemic productions). Rumors of a sequel or franchise potential are entirely speculative at this stage, though the premise certainly leaves room for Nina’s story to continue.
The Verdict: Worth the Watch?
If you’re a fan of Taken or Atomic Blonde, Mother’s Day delivers the goods—albeit with a few more rough edges. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but it doesn’t need to. Grochowska’s performance and Rakowicz’s direction give the familiar plot enough fresh energy to keep viewers hooked . The film’s Polish setting and unapologetic brutality might not appeal to everyone, but for action junkies, it’s a solid addition to the genre.
For now, the biggest unanswered question is whether Mother’s Day will find a wider audience beyond Poland. With Netflix’s global reach, it has the potential to become a sleeper hit—but only if word of mouth catches fire.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.