Review: “H is for Hawk”
By Morgan Roberts
Director: Philippa Lowthorpe
Writers: Emma Donahue and Philippa Lowthorpe
Stars: Claire Foy, Brendan Gleeson, Lindsay Duncan, Denise Gough, Josh Dylan
Runtime: 119 minutes
Year: 2026
At a funeral recently, in one of the eulogies, someone remarked (and I’m paraphrasing) that to mourn is the burden we must endure for the honor of loving someone. And that sentiment permeates Philippa Lowthrope’s latest film, “H is for Hawk.” Based off of the memoir by the same name, the film follows Helen MacDonald (Claire Foy), after the sudden death of their father (Brendan Gleeson). His love of ornithology leads Helen to getting her own goshawk to train.
Admittedly, I haven’t read MacDonald’s memoir which was published back in 2014. There is a challenge not only transforming a true story, but a memoir. Many memoirs not only involve personal narratives, but internal thoughts and reflections. Thus, an adaptation can be tricky. How far do you lean into the interiority of the piece? Luckily for Lowthorpe, the film hinges upon the performance of Foy, who excels at interiority. In her criminally underappreciated work in Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking,” Foy oscillated between fiery emotion and demure, insular moments. In “H is for Hawk,” she leans heavily into restraint, coaxing the audience into this bereaved person’s inner world.
Claire Foy and Brendan Gleeson in “H is for Hawk” | Courtesy of Roadside Attractions
In the film, Helen is depicted not only has brilliant but a touch flighty. But even with her big and wild dreams, there’s a grounded nature anchoring her to her work, her friends, and her family, particularly her father. We see quick glimpses of her life before the loss of her father peppered throughout the film, many times juxtaposing her further decent into the black hole of grief. It is through her training of her goshawk Mabel that Helen begins to truly reckon with her profound grief. There were moments between Helen and Mabel that felt reminiscent of the classic Ken Loach film, “Kes.” But unlike Loach’s film, the feathered friend of the film is critically central. It is an amalgamation of both Helen’s grief and salvation. The cinematography from Charlotte Bruus Christensen soars when the goshawk is on screen.
The script was co-written by Lowthrope and Emma Donahue - writer of the book and film “Room.” There are times that the dialogue feels a bit on the nose, particularly when comparing Helen to the goshawk they’re training, but the script manages to capture Helen’s grief. While the film is patiently paced, there are moments it feels a touch slow, which, when coupled with more interior central performance can be a difficult to grab your attention. Nevertheless, the film manages to quickly win you back with Foy’s steadfast performance, the stunning cinematography, and the scripts thoughtful rumination on grief. The film can be tricky, since the central focus is not only on this grief, but trying to understand it through the lens of another person’s inner world only shown through cracks. I find that to also be the most compelling part of the film. There are others we encounter every day living through a grief so overwhelming, it begins to rob them of themselves. They live the burden of loving someone so deeply, that their loss becomes a mournful abyss. And yet, there is something that helps guide them through despair. For Helen, that guide was a goshawk.
Grade: B-
Pair This Film With: “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt” (2023) dir. Raven Jackson; “Vagabond” (1985) dir. Agnès Varda; “Wendy and Lucy” (2007) dir. Kelly Reichardt