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H Is For Hawk

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  • Trailer 1

Movie Info & Cast

Synopsis

H is for Hawk follows Helen (Foy), who, after the sudden death of her father (Gleeson), loses herself in the memories of their time birding and exploring the natural world together and turns the ancient art of falconry—rooted in European tradition—training a wild goshawk named Mabel to navigate her profound loss. But as she teaches Mabel to hunt and fly free, Helen discovers how deeply she has neglected her own emotions and life. What begins as an act of endurance transforms into an intimate journey of resilience and healing.

Cast

  • Brendan Gleeson
  • Lindsay Duncan
  • Denise Gough
  • Claire Foy
  • Sam Spruell
  • Arty Froushan
  • Emma Cunniffe
  • Josh Dylan
  • Katy Carmichael
  • Miranda Shamiso
Moviegoers are saying
Claire Foy delivers a powerfully restrained performance in this adaptation of Helen MacDonald's acclaimed grief memoir, where a Cambridge academic turns to falconry after her father's sudden death. While critics praise Foy's 'breathtakingly honest' work and the film's gorgeous cinematography, many find the emotional distance inherent in the story makes it difficult to fully connect with the protagonist's journey.
Top Mentions
Grief-Journey
Literary-Adaptation
Emotionally-Restrained
Nature-Therapy
Quiet-Devastation
Survival-Bond
Summary generated from the text of Atom User reviews

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.3
7.7K
3.4K
1.7K
RATINGS 13 FANS
3.3

Atom Users Reviews

3.0
0
1
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Reviews

Metacritic

60
Dec 11, 2025

As an appreciation of birds and our connection to them, it’s engrossing and endearing — a fresher take, certainly, than yet another weepie about dog or cat owners. But as an exploration of grief, it’s hindered by a 128-minute run time that spreads its emotional potency too thin.

Metacritic review by Angie Han
Angie Han
The Hollywood Reporter
80
Dec 11, 2025

Foy is terrific in a film which balances bruising candour about mental health issues against arresting wildlife photography and a fervent appreciation of the natural world.

Wendy Ide
Screen Daily
60
Dec 11, 2025

It’s a rare privilege to spend so much time with Helen and her charge, and the footage of Mabel (filmed by Mark Payne-Gill in the wild and DP Charlotte Bruus Christensen in dramatic scenes) hunting pheasants and so forth mesmerizes. But there’s arguably too much of it, dominating the film’s slightly excessive run time.

Metacritic review by Peter Debruge
Peter Debruge
Variety