Dzien Matki/Mother’s Day (2025)

Dzien Matki/Mother’s Day (2025)

“Dzien Matki” really means Mother’s Day !

It’s Mother’s Day, but it’s also the day of the villains—each one more devious than the next.

Nina leads a quiet, boring life far removed from the missions of her past—until the day her son Max, who lives with his adoptive parents, is kidnapped. Dzien Matki was released shortly after another Netflix film in the same genre, namely “The Mother” starring Jennifer Lopez. In both cases, there’s a mother who’ll do anything to protect her child, who grew up far away from her. The difference between the two is that Mateusz Rakowicz’s film is probably more brutal, while Niki Caro’s has a slightly more substantial story. However, if you’ve seen the latter, you’ll realize that the story here is truly minimal. The plot is never gripping, and the characters are cartoonish—which can be either annoying or amusing. This Polish action film could have avoided disaster solely thanks to its action scenes… but even there, it falls short. They’re dynamic, well-executed, and well-filmed, but a little too choreographed. You can really see the “Watch out! I’m going to throw my fist here, and you dodge like this! Okay? Perfect!” vibe. The one in the kitchen is awesome. No, just kidding! It’s over-the-top and predictable. Only the first one is any good, maybe.

Unfortunately for those looking for a good laugh, these scenes aren’t all that numerous, and boredom definitely sets in between sequences. Ultimately, it’s a cheap knockoff of John Wick with a plot too trivial to hold your interest even a little bit. Then again, there’s way too much violence and fighting for those who hate that sort of thing. This definitely isn’t a movie for them!

Yes! Another “John Wick”-style hit—but with a Polish twist! Here, a former spy who’s practically become a beggar finds herself saving her son, who was adopted and doesn’t know her. We can’t quite remember why they want to kill him, but we don’t really care. His mother returns to action and kills them one by one. Since this dramatic framework has been done countless times before, this film’s appeal lies in its variations—or even its originality. These are found in the film’s visual style: the movie has a strong visual impact thanks to its cinematography, costumes, and makeup, all influenced by video game aesthetics. The whole thing takes place in Warsaw, featuring a rather wild cast of characters and, of course, very graphic and horrific villains. It unfolds mostly at night in dirty, abandoned factories and basements, with meticulously crafted cinematography and choreography featuring playful visual effects, as I mentioned. In fact, it’s both horrifying and fun! It lacks a barely hinted-at sexual dimension and a sense of subversion !!!

Technically speaking, I don’t think anything is perfect, even though they clearly made an effort to polish every detail. The lead actress, Agnieszka Grochowska, could have been truly impressive. The choreography and sets could have been spectacular, with those damp basements and that old abandoned factory. The film contains very few visually striking ideas. And the open ending, with its humorous nod, hints at a sequel. How awful! A movie like a bag of chips—very crunchy, very satisfying—that you enjoy but forget very quickly.

Here’s a comment I read: “If this is supposed to be a serious thriller, it’s a failure. If it’s some kind of parody, it’s terrible! Maybe it’s in Polish?”

Here’s another review: “A concentration of violence and stupidity. The lead actress isn’t acting—she just sulks. I didn’t have the courage to watch past the 20-minute mark. Even the fight stunts are ridiculous.” It’s always a shame to judge without having seen the whole thing. Although, sometimes, you can obviously be right! The actress isn’t just pulling a long face—she’s depressed because she can’t see or get to know her son. And given the problems she finds herself in, she’s not going to be smiling all the time. In fact, she does smile at one point, and it’s very symbolic.

Anyway! A super-cheap Polish Z-movie. Not much about it works: caricatured characters (though that doesn’t really bother me that much!), dialogue of appalling poverty, relatively disastrous acting, pretty ridiculous fight scenes, and to top it all off, cinematography with a really unattractive yellowish filter. Okay, it’s intentional, but I didn’t like it! I don’t deny the work or the effort that went into it, but for me, this movie is one to avoid… unless you’re a fan of very—or even overly—independent films!

Here’s one last comment to wrap things up: “The movie starts off pretty well, but then there are action scenes that are laugh-out-loud funny—more than just comical. It’s more like a total flop. It’s a far cry from Cynthia Rothrock.”

Indeed, Cynthia Rothrock would have a good laugh watching this movie! That said, as I mentioned, I think it’s a shame to watch only four minutes of a movie and judge it. Even half an hour is too short. Well, if you’re bored out of your mind for more than 45 minutes, then we can start having a discussion.

In this case, for example, we can say the movie is bad! Despite its good ideas, its wacky characters, and despite its nice beginning and ending.