H Is for Hawk

Academic “Helen” (Claire Foy) is close to her photo journalist dad (Brendan Gleeson) and so is deeply affected when he quite suddenly dies. She tries to be around for her mum (Lindsay Duncan) and brother “James” (Josh Dylan) but with her tenure at her university (and therefore the lease on her home) coming to an end she seems devoid of much purpose. One thing she had shared with her father shortly before he died was watching some hawks darting about in the sky, and this inspires her to try her hand at falconry. After chatting with her experienced friend “Stuart” (Sam Spruell) she alights on a goshawk - the most aggressive of all. Despite the reservations of her best pal “Christina” (Denise Gough) they drive to Stranraer to pick up a fully licensed young bird. It’s a lively animal whom she names “Mabel” and what now ensues sees he become more and more attached to a bird that gradually starts to reciprocate - well, within reason. “Helen” becomes obsessed with her bird, and though she pays lip service to her work she really only cares about “Mabel” as she learns to feed and then to hunt. Grief is a topic that plenty of films have had a go at exposing over the years, but rarely in quite such an effective fashion. The fact that “Helen” is so closely identifying with her bird, at the expense of just about everything else including her job, her family, friendships and even her hygiene is delicately played out here. There is a clear dependency developing here that slowly, but surely, shifts in emphasis. As “Mabel” grows in confidence, it also gives the cinematographer an opportunity to present us with some beautifully photographed action as this nimble and lithe creature chases it’s prey through trees, tall grass and hedgerows without ever losing sight of lunch. There’s not a great deal of dialogue to concern us which allows us to focus more on Foy’s personable performance crafting a character that has no idea how to grieve. The goshawk is the star though, no doubt about it.