H IS FOR HAWK

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Storyline (warning: spoilers)

Director Philippa Lowthorpe co-wrote, with Emma Donohue, this adaptation of Helen MacDonald’s 2014 memoir H is for Hawk. This emotionally soaring drama showcases the always intriguing Claire Foy at the top of her game as an academic named Helen who discovers abilities to help cope with loss through her bond with a Goshawk named Mabel. This movie could seem like a potentially feel-good movie on the surface, but it proves to be something much more than just a heartwarming tale of a woman coming to terms with her dad’s (Brendan Gleeson) death. This is a moving story of the experiences that shape Helen’s life through all her joys, sorrows, pains and passions. It’s a beautifully rendered tale about the need to find the strength to continue moving forward in life. It’s, quite simply, an emotionally powerful triumph.
The film begins with Helen and her dad having a phone call, talking about the hawks she has seen. Then, later, she gets a call from her mum (Lindsay Duncan) informing her that her father has died of a sudden heart attack
Helen is overtaken by grief and loses herself in memories of their time birding and exploring the natural world together. She becomes obsessed with the idea of training her own goshawk, and so she brings the fearsome bird Mabel home to Cambridge with her. Ready to embark on the arduous process of trying to train the wildest of animals, Helen fills the freezer with hawk food and turns off her phone. But as she labours to teach Mabel how to hunt and fly free on her own, Helen uncovers how neglected her own emotions and life have become. Based on a true story and a memoir of the same name, H is for Hawk is a soaring journey of the connection between people and nature, and how it might be possible to reconcile loss through love.
This movie will stay with viewers long after its conclusion as it makes one wholeheartedly believe in the healing power of love and the methods of coping with loss that can make living life tolerable (and possible) again. H Is for Hawk is the best kind of tearjerker.