"Movies about grief can be a tough sell. Unless there's a comedic tinge ( Truly, Madly, Deeply; Good Grief) or a genre element ( Hereditary, Arrival), they can emit the off-putting odor of melodramatic wallowing, especially if the script and acting aren't pitched just right. There are exceptions, of course: In the Bedroom, Manchester by the Sea, and of course Pig among them."
"Based on the 2014 memoir by Helen Macdonald, H Is for Hawk begins with the death of Helen's dad (Brendan Gleeson), an acclaimed photojournalist who collapsed while covering a severe storm. Helen, a Cambridge University professor in line for a prestigious overseas fellowship, initially keeps it together, as expected in her typically British stiff-upper-lip family. ("Father wouldn't want any of this moping.")"
H Is for Hawk follows Helen, a Cambridge University professor who struggles after her father's sudden death. She turns to falconry, obtaining a goshawk named Mabel, and treats the bird as emotional support while obsessively training it. Claire Foy delivers a sterling central performance, matched by the animal performers. Flashbacks establish a close father-daughter bond and occasional dark comic moments punctuate the grief. The film balances coping and isolation but never fully achieves profound catharsis, with pacing and tonal choices limiting its emotional reach despite strong acting and striking avian sequences.
Read at Oregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News
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