DIRECTED by Mateusz Rakowicz, Mother’s Day is a dingy yet totally screwy adrenalin-packed action thriller, new to Netflix.
From its totally deadpan opening sequence, which quickly turns into one of the most memorable and kick-ass fight scenes of recent times, it is clear we are in for a real mindless but thoroughly entertaining escapade which packs quite the punch.
This Polish film stars Agnieszka Grochowska as Nina, a former special agent with some rather deadly skills that makes 007 look totally lame in comparison. I mean, who needs high-tech weaponry when you can just as easily wipe the floor with a gang of far-right thugs with nothing more than a bag of cans and a blank expression?
A relic from the former Eastern Bloc, the world believes that Nina is long dead, but she must come out of her miserable existence to face a grimy and rain-soaked world that looks like it was shot in the lanes of Limerick on one of our softest days.
Nina even has a gravestone to complete the ruse, but at the same time, there’s little living been done in her grubby apartment as she spends her solitary days keeping tabs on social media of her 17-year-old son (Adrian Delikta), who is unaware of her existence. Adopted as a child, he lives with his loving foster family, but has a target on his back from those in the criminal underworld because of his birth mother.
When Nina’s son is kidnapped, all hell breaks loose as she dusts down her lethal skills to face down the kitschiest bunch of psychotics skinheads — they are like something out of the degenerate and punk rock imagination of cult filmmaker John Waters. Think Romper Stomper with a Hello Kitty twist.
Mother’s Day is mindless fun. However, it is grittier and a more enjoyable watch than The Mother starring Jennifer Lopez, which is also new to Netflix. If anything, Rakowicz’s film comes off like the lovechild of Atomic Blonde and Angela’s Ashes.
(4/5)
