Written and directed by Philippa Lowthorpe, co-written by Emma Donoghue, based on the book of the same name by Helen MacDonald. After losing her beloved father, Helen finds herself saved by an unlikely friendship with a stubborn hawk named Mabel. Starring: Claire Foy, Brendan Gleeson, Lindsay Duncan, Denise Gough, Sam Spruell and Josh Dylan.
It’s forever a true statement that grief comes in many different forms, but it’s likely you wouldn’t really expect it to come in the form of deciding to live with and train a Goshawk, named Mabel. It’s undoubtedly one of the more unique examples and yet the way that this story is told means that it’s still inherently relatable, sympathetic and genuinely touching. Philippa Lowthorpe really dives headfirst into the emotions of H is for Hawk, it’s immediately tapping into loss and grief, but also Helen’s (Claire Foy) love for her father (Brendan Gleeson).
As well as exploring that grief, they also do a wonderful job of capturing anxiety and depression. Lowthorpe builds that into her direction, and the tone which the writing brings to the table has a surprising intensity. It’s a rather strange sentence to put together but the filmmakers create such a lovely exploration of depression. It hits the right notes, it shows how her family and friends make their concerns known and offer help but never overstep, nudging her in the right direction and not judging her choices.
Lowthorpe creates a feverish, scattered nature to the timeline, which nicely reflects Helen’s experience and mental state. How her father’s passing has her stuck in the present while constantly revisiting the past. It takes a little time to establish itself, but H is for Hawk is one of those films that slowly works its way under your skin, before you really notice. It’s still captivating initially but it’s later that the emotions and brokenness of it truly hit you. Letting it build in that manner, rather than trying to do everything all at once, was a great choice. It’s something that works particularly well with Claire Foy’s style of acting.
Foy’s strength lies in portraying characters who you don’t immediately warm to, they can be a little obscure, spiky or withdrawn. Helen was a perfect fit and is arguably the best performance Foy’s ever given. She has been given a number of relatively simple roles in the past, a lot of wives, and she does them well but it’s when she can break out of that, that she really shines and she certainly does in H is for Hawk. Foy gives a heartbreaking performance, she finds herself broken but in denial about it, as she hyper-focuses on her hawk, Mabel. It’s a fascinating balance to watch her light up and find so much excitement and connection with Mabel, while ardently pushing away the outside world as much as she possibly can.
There’s one particular scene, where Helen happens to bump into a jogger (Claudius Peters) while out on a walk with Mabel, and it’s such a simple interaction but it’s truly moving. It’s moments like that which are the heart of H is for Hawk, because it’s all about connection, family and heritage. Those themes are served excellently by the direction from Lowthorpe and the cinematography from Charlotte Bruus Christensen (Fences, The Hunt, Far from the Madding Crowd, A Quiet Place). The aesthetic feels everyday and earnest, but it also has such a wonderful sharpness and colour, something that excels when it embraces nature. The way that they film Mabel as she flies and hunts is brilliant, those scenes are also edited particularly well.
H is for Hawk is superbly heartfelt, moving and unexpected. Claire Foy gives her best performance to date, with such a striking vulnerability yet determination. She has particularly superb support in the form of Brendan Gleeson, Lindsay Duncan, Denise Gough and Sam Spruell. Philippa Lowthorpe’s directorial style is excellent, she truly weaves the themes of the film into her choices. The writing alongside Emma Donoghue, is similarly terrific, the intensity that the story brings and how it moves in a scattered manner, is very well done. There’s a fantastic score, the aesthetic is brilliant and it holds such powerful emotional resonance.
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