By John Corrado

H is for Hawk is based on 2014 memoir of the same name by British author and naturalist Helen Macdonald, which told the story of her grief-fuelled friendship with a wild goshawk.

Claire Foy stars in the film adaptation as Helen, who we first meet as a shy academic at Cambridge. When her father Alisdair Macdonald (Brendan Gleeson), a celebrated newspaper photographer, suddenly passes away, she finds herself drawn to their memories of going birding together in the English countryside.

These memories, and Helen’s special interest in falconry, prompt her to adopt a wild goshawk named Mabel, that she is determined to properly train. Helen becomes increasingly withdrawn in the wake of her father’s death, but finds a newfound sense of purpose in caring for Mabel, and teaching her how to hunt in the wild.

Directed by Philippa Lowthorpe, who co-wrote the screenplay with Canadian author Emma Donoghue (best known for Room), H is for Hawk is a quiet but impactful character drama. The slower pace of the film might work against it for some viewers, but this is a film that rewards patience, and finds a rhythm in the scenes between Foy’s Helen and the bird of prey she adopts. There is a gentleness to it that works in the story’s favour.

There is real magic in the moments showing the bond that forms between woman and bird, with long stretches where it is just the two of them onscreen together. Lowthorpe’s film very effectively uses this bond between human and animal as the backdrop for a story that is, at its heart, about grief and moving on. On a deeper level, teaching the hawk to hunt allows Helen to get back in touch with the natural order of life and death, as she processes her father’s own passing.

Despite Helen’s eccentricities, Foy does an excellent job of underplaying her, sensitively portraying someone who is possibly on the autism spectrum and withdrawing into their own world. Gleeson is mostly seen in flashbacks where we see the stabilizing presence he brought to his daughter’s life, and the warmth of his portrayal permeates through the entire film. Finaly, Charlotte Bruus Christensen’s cinematography nicely captures wide shots of the natural landscapes, and some impressive images of the bird flying free and chasing prey.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)

H is for Hawk opens exclusively in theatres in limited release on January 23rd, including at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto. It’s being distributed in Canada by Roadside Attractions.