This Real-Life Drama With 'The Crown' Favorite Is a Quiet Masterpiece About Grief & Healing

Claire Foy, known for her role as the young Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, returns to the big screen in the poignant drama H Is for Hawk.

Based on Helen MacDonald's best-selling autobiographical book of the same name, the film is a deeply personal exploration of grief, loss, and healing.

What Is 'H Is for Hawk' About?

Helen Macdonald, a research fellow at Cambridge University, is a cheerful researcher interested in everything from birds of prey to the architecture of British cities. She inherited her thirst for knowledge from her father, Alisdair, who was a reportage photographer.

One day, however, her father died, and time stood still for Helen. With his passing, she also seems to lose the inquisitive girl he raised.

Seeking a way to move forward, Helen challenges herself by deciding to tame a goshawk – a capricious, wilful, freedom-loving predator she names Mabel.

'H Is for Hawk' Is Not Your Typical Man-And-Beast Movie

H Is for Hawk is a striking departure from the typical story of an animal healer – the creators do not romanticize the relationship between Helen and Mabel. Gradually, Helen's house becomes a cave, littered with prey, bones, and bird droppings. After all, a hawk is born to hunt, not to spend evenings on the couch.

The film doesn't shy away from the disturbing reality of mortality: to feed Mabel, Helen must either buy meat or allow the bird to hunt. This raw confrontation with death helps the woman come to terms with her father's death and accept the circle of life.

Here, Mabel functions as something like the daemon from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials – an outward embodiment of the heroine's inner essence, her wildness and freedom.

'H Is for Hawk' Is Worth Watching if Only for the Brilliant Acting Duo of Claire Foy & Brendan Gleeson

Claire Foy, known for her precision and discipline in The Crown, plays a rebel who refuses to conform to the prim academic world's rules. Her character, Helen, is a mischievous student who can't help but burst into laughter during the department chair's speech.

Brendan Gleeson delivers a near-perfect yet remarkably lively performance as the father – a humorous mentor who is always ready to indulge in mischief, even in the most tense situations.

Together, Foy and Gleeson create an onscreen relationship filled with love, humor, and a deep connection. H Is for Hawk is a truthful yet atypical story about accepting the death of a loved one and mortality in general.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'H Is for Hawk'?

• H Is for Hawk has 81% from critics and 75% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 6.5/10.

• On Letterboxd, H Is for Hawk scored 3.3/5.0.

Where to Watch 'H Is for Hawk'?

H Is for Hawk is available to buy or rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.