Reminiscent of the Taken trilogy and the Extraction franchise, Dzien Matki, a.k.a. Mother’s Day, is a Polish action drama released on Netflix that boasts a stellar cast. The movie's adrenaline-fueled premise finds an ex-special agent who must come out of retirement to protect her estranged son from a crime nexus. The high-octane hand-to-hand combat that follows finds the protagonist smashing heads with a hammer and even kicking packets of drugs in her enemy’s faces. Mother’s Day marks another action venture for director Mateusz Rakowicz, who had previously helmed the 2021 crime comedy The Getaway King and contributed to the drama anthology Stacja Warszawa.
While Mother's Day garnered mixed reviews from critics (via Rotten Tomatoes), acclaim was generated toward its action sequences and Agnieszka Grochowska’s dedicated performance as the central character, Nina Nowak. Eagerly taking on fast-paced stunt choreography at the age of 43, Grochowksa’s portrayal of a concerned parent with special skills is drawing comparisons with Liam Neeson’s Bryan Mills in Taken. The Mother’s Day cast also includes many veterans of Polish cinema as well as newcomers. With the traction that Mother’s Day received on Netflix, the Polish actors in the movie's cast have a chance to gain global popularity.
Agnieszka Grochowska As Nina Nowak
Agnieszka Grochowska leads the Mother’s Day cast as Nina Nowak, a former NATO Special Operations Agent. Proficient in direct combat and handling firearms, Nina can still turn into a one-woman army after her retirement, even though she tries to lead a peaceful life. When her estranged son Maks is kidnapped, Nina returns to wage a full-blown war against the criminals involved. While there are moments when she gets abducted and heavily injured, Nina’s commitment to protecting her son makes her endure. The maternal themes evoked by Nina make Mother’s Day find its place among the best action thrillers about parenthood.
The actress playing Nina broke out in 2004 with her performance as a charismatic woman named Tania in The Welts. The Polish drama revolves around a man plagued by his childhood traumas until he finds redemption after meeting Tania. Agnieszka Grochowska's portrayal of a high-school student’s mother during the 1980s era of Polish martial law in Leave No Traces is also comparable to her Mother’s Day character. She had a brief role as Soviet working-class civilian Nina Andreyeva in the Tom Hardy-starrer Child 44, played Polish activist Lech Wałęsaa’s wife Danuta Wałęsa in Walesa: Man of Hope, and led the miniseries The Woods as trauma-plagued university professor Laura Goldsztajn.
Dariusz Chojnacki As Igor
The Mother’s Day cast also includes Polish character actor Dariusz Chojnacki as Igor. Knowing her from their service in Afghanistan, Igor is introduced as Nina’s trusted ally. The government insider provides crucial evidence to Nina and is eager to nab the criminals behind her son’s abduction. While he also provides comic relief with his deadpan humor, Igor turns out to be an unexpectedly twisted person in the latter half of the movie. Chojnacki’s diverse career includes playing a journalist named Kolendowicz in the investigative thriller series The Mire, a priest in the psychological thriller Angel of Death, and the doctor Piotr Suzin in the medical drama Strzepy.
Szymon Wroblewski As Woltomierz
Szymon Wrobelewski appears in the Mother's Day cast as antagonist Woltomierz — also known as Volto throughout the movie. He is a largely unpredictable and flamboyant criminal who overthrew his gangster father by beheading him and usurping his power. From breaking into fits of laughter to engaging in sadistic violence, Woltomierz can come off as an intimidating character. Much like his co-star Dariusz Chojnacki, Wrobelewski previously appeared in The Mire, a worthy Polish companion to the best TV mystery miniseries. Apart from playing a season 2 character named Krystian in The Mire, he also appeared in the Agnieszka Grochowska-led political thriller Leave No Traces as the police officer Kosciuk.
Dorota Kolak As Matka Niny
Woltomierz is just a pawn in the movie's overall premise, as corrupt government official Matka Niny is the one who actually pulls the strings. Running an influential nexus of extortion, money laundering, and drugs, Matka also harbors a dark secret that connects her to Nina. The strategic and powerful villain is played by Dorota Kolak, who shared the screen with fellow Mother’s Day cast member Agnieszka Grochowska in The Woods. She played Chief Prosecutor Herman, a lawmaker attached to a mysterious incident of disappearance in a forest. She also drew praise for starring in the 2018 drama Playing Hard as Teresa, a gifted surgeon struggling with alcoholism.
Adrian Delikta As Maks
Maks is Nina’s teenage son, who was handed over to foster parents at birth. Separated from his mother for his own security, Maks is still surveilled heavily by Nina, who gazes at him through binoculars and even stalks his social media accounts. But after he gets kidnapped, he must finally cross paths with Nina, who is hellbent on rescuing him. Maks is a kind-hearted boy who spends his days skateboarding. But ever since he gets abducted, he too works on his own survival skills like his biological mother. The character is played by Adrian Delikta, who marked his film debut with his Mother’s Day casting.
Mother’s Day Supporting Cast & Characters
Konrad Eleryk as Tytus - Woltomierz’s close associate, who runs his criminal empire’s human trafficking operations. The henchman is portrayed by Konrad Eleryk, who had a lead role in the drama series Pati as Krystian Malek, a man who harbors a crush on the titular protagonist and also provides her financial assistance. Mother’s Day isn’t Eleryk’s only Netflix credit as he also appears in the role of Commander in the erotic Netflix comedy Sexify.
Sebastian Dela As Baton - Ivo Jarecki, a.k.a. Baton, handles the drug-related businesses under Woltomierz. He is played by Sebastian Dela, who previously played a DJ named Griper in the musical drama Zadra, the protagonist Kaja’s cousin in the comedy Love, Sex & Pandemic, and a missing woman’s concerned brother in the thriller #BringBackAlice.
Jowita Budnik as Diplomat - One of Matka Niny’s criminal associates, the Diplomat launders money to and from Russia. She is played by Mother’s Day cast member Jowita Budnik, whose previous Netflix credits include the Polish thriller 1983. She played Joanna Marcinkiewicz, the wife of the lead character, Tobiasz Marcinkiewicz. She has also appeared in other shows starring Mother’s Day cast members such as her credit as a “girl’s mother” in Playing Hard, which also starred Dorota Kolak, and Mira Janik in Angel of Death, which also starred Dariusz Chojnacki.
Paulina Chrusciel as Maks’ Adoptive Mother - Maks’s foster family includes his adoptive mother, who is played by Paulina Chrusciel. She also portrayed the title character in the sitcom Commissioner Mom and romance-seeking 32-year-old Ela Kowalik in the romantic series Singielka.
Pawel Koslik As Maks’ Adoptive Father - The adoptive father to Nina’s son is played by Pawel Koslik. He previously played the fictional Polish President Andrzej in the political satire The Chairman’s Ear and City Guard Commander Kolski in the Netflix survival thriller series High Water.
Arkadiusz Brykalski As Head of the Agency - A brief yet integral role in the Mother’s Day cast is that of the head of the same government agency that Igor works for. He is the one who briefs his team about Matka Niny’s partners in crime. The character is played by Arkadiusz Brykalski, who played a German man in the Netflix crime series How I Fell in Love with a Gangster. He also shared screen space with Mother’s Day lead Agnieszka Grochowska in the romantic comedy Skolowani as her character, Julia’s bandmate.