H is for Hawk Movie Review

This is a passionate adaptation of Helen MacDonald’s memoir, a scholar and environmentalist. It’s a beautiful story you’ll want to stick with, even though it can be monotonous, and slow to almost to a crawl at times before picking back up, once again gaining your trust and attention. ​

The cinemaphotography, especially of the hawks used for the Goshawk, Mabel, is stunning. This is worth a watch just for this soaring exquisiteness. Several avians were used, as they had different personalities and practically controlled the set with their attitudes, yet a film worth seeing at the theater was produced. The narrative is a good one. It effectively captures a grieving daughter’s pain after the sudden loss of her father, for whom she was very close.

When the film opens, we see Helen, played by Claire Foy, share with her dad that she saw a pair of Goshawks “gliding around one another.” He tells her he’s happy she was able to see a pair of them together, as it’s rare to witness. Brendan Gleeson plays her father. Their one conversation while he was alive, and the rather minimal interactions they have throughout, can’t take away from his presence, which hangs around like a ghost. Director Philippa Lowthorpe manages to make you miss him almost as much as his devastated child. She shows us a scene, from Helen’s memory, of him scratching his arm while doing yard work, and later showing that scratch as he lay in his casket. He passed his love of birds onto Helen. She never was as close to them as he was, but feeling it important to keep a connection to him wide open, she decides now to get a hawk of her own, which she names Mable, to make him proud. This is the therapy she needs to get beyond his death, or is it? She’s neglecting everything in life, especially herself and her students. Mabel gets all of her energy. People are concerned about her, so maybe this isn’t what she needs?

What you get from this movie is a good look at the life of a hawk and what it takes to train them. It’s good to know exactly what the hood is for, and when and how to use it in relation to the hawk’s interactions with a human. The hood is a kindness while training birds of prey, as what they don’t see doesn’t exist. I’m sure to an extent that’s true, but if you’re sensitive to that sort of control over an animal, have a tissue. It’s fascinating to watch them grow close to their human, trust, and even love the gloved person they have a bond with. Learning of her growing frustration and anger, Stu, a longtime friend of her dad’s, takes her under his wing and helps out. He teaches her to be calm if she wants Mable to be.

I really liked this movie. I didn’t love it, but you learn so much. Whatever you thought going in, you’ll be happy to disregard when leaving. I’m speaking mostly about a lecture she gives, where she’s attacked about what she does with the hawk. I myself had some of the opinions of the people who question her, delighted to find out I was looking at things the wrong way. Watch this to open your eyes to this part of nature. It’s a real lesson. Don’t miss a thing.