Mother’s Day unfolds around Nina, a former NATO special operations agent, who is alive and well despite standing over her grave in Warsaw that says she died in 2005 in defense of her country. Nina is depressed, ordering six beers on Mother’s Day and the next night watching her now teenage son celebrate his birthday from a distance in her car, always watching over him.
Mother’s Day (2023) Ending Explained
Nina gave up Maks for adoption years ago but still watches him celebrate his day annually from afar. That’s until she receives a call that Maks is being held hostage by a ruthless gang specializing in drugs, racketeering, and human trafficking. Failure to comply with their demands will result in his death, compelling Nina to employ all her skills in a daring mission to retrieve him.
Why did Nina fake her own death?
Nina explains to Maks that she is his mother, and to prove that fact, she tells her son that Nina and Maks’s father were being hunted when he was an infant. Nina then tells Maks the truth about his origins, that his parents did not die in a car accident, but she watched others, including Maks’s father, die one after another.
It’s slowly revealed that Maks’s father was killed in Afghanistan, and Nina was declared dead.
Why was Maks kidnapped?
We aren’t sure why Nina’s son was kidnapped initially, but we assume he was caught up in a sweep of the gangster Wolto being involved in human trafficking. Eventually, after several attempts to save her son, Nina kills Wolto, but Maks still runs away because he is scared.
That’s when the son of a Russian diplomat referred to as The Diplomat, who specializes in money laundering, takes Maks hostage. She demands Nina break into a Warsaw police station to get the money that was confiscated from Wolto’s vault. When she completes the mission, she will give Nina Maks.
You will also note that The Diplomat seemed to know Nina well, but no explanation is given.
Why did Igor betray Nina?
Igor betrayed his friend Nina so that he and other corrupt police officials could steal the illegally laundered money in his vault. It turns out Igor pretended to be a criminal and paid Wolto to kidnap Maks, knowing that Nina would most likely kill Wolto and cripple his organization, leaving the money vulnerable. The money was stolen and not confiscated by the police.
When Nina tells Igor about The Diplomat’s demands to steal back the money, Igor deliberately crashes his car into Nina’s vehicle, causing her to crash into the windshield. Nina is taken hostage. Igor needed the money to move and travel to see his daughter, whom he lost custody of in a divorce.
As Igor and his associates drive Nina to the woods to kill her, all four argue about who will dig the hole to bury her. Eventually, they untie her so she can dig her own grave. While Igor waits in the car, he hears gunshots and sees that Nina is now holding a gun. Igor drives, crashes the van, and manages to escape, but he watches the automobile explode as The Diplomat’s money begins to burn.
Why does The Diplomat allow Nina and Maks to live?
The Diplomat allows Nina and Maks to live because her son wants it. One possible reason is that the diplomat’s son began to warm up to Maks because, a few scenes prior, they played chess together. We can speculate that the diplomat’s son may have respected Maks as a worthy adversary on the chessboard, just as his mother found Nina a worthy opponent in the criminal underworld.
After Nina and Maks are let go, Igor takes one more chance at killing Nina by crashing his car into them (apparently, he was hanging outside the Russian embassy waiting for them to come out). Igor tries to shoot Nina and Maks, but she grabs his gun, hits him in the head, and lets him leave. Nina drops off Maks at his adoptive parents, and they have a relationship after that point.
Who showed up at the end of Mother’s Day?
Nina’s mother and Maks’s grandmother show up at their door when Maks visits Nina for dinner. Nina’s mother comments on how she heard Nina is causing trouble. Also, her former enemies know she’s alive and has a son.
Frankly, the scene is a straightforward setup for a sequel, which will shed light on Nina’s backstory because Maks’s question about his father was never answered before the knock at the door.
What happens in Mother’s Day mid-credits scene?
Mother’s Day‘s mid-credits scene shows Igor being questioned by officials, and they show a video of him trying to kill Nina and Maks after the car accident. They also have a video of him on camera robbing Wolto’s vault and stealing the money. Igor then asks if he can call his daughter.
What did you think of the ending of the 2023 Netflix Polish film Mother’s Day? Comment below.
