H is for Hawk

“H is for Hawk irons out the most interesting complexities of Helen Macdonald’s lived experience.”

Title: H is for Hawk (2025)
Director: Philippa Lowthorpe 👩🏼🇬🇧
Writers: Screenplay by Emma Donoghue 👩🏼🇮🇪🇨🇦🌈 and Philippa Lowthorpe 👩🏼🇬🇧 based on the memoir by Helen Macdonald 🧑🏼🇬🇧🌈

Reviewed by Sarah Manvel 👩🏼🇮🇪🇺🇲🌈

Technical: 4.5/5

Working with animals is always tricky because they haven’t exactly read the script, but some animals are easier than others. The hawks that play the titular animal in H is for Hawk, based on actual events, appear to be the latter: They serve as the main joy of the film as Claire Foy’s Helen, an Oxford professor who adopts a goshawk named Mabel shortly after the death of their father (Brendan Gleeson), works with real birds in what feels like real time.

Director Philippa Lowthorpe (Prisoner 951, The Crown) has a strong track record of adapting real-life events for the screen. In H is for Hawk, she uses long, unedited shots to emphasise how Helen and Mabel get to know each other. Outdoor sequences of Mabel hunting are captured with swooping care, its realism making it clear that other animals were unfortunately harmed in the making of this film. But the central story shows that death is a natural part of life, giving the hunting sequences the feel of a nature documentary. By showing how caring for the goshawk enables Helen to accept the loss of their father, the film offers a powerful story of human grief.

Gender: 4/5
Does it pass the Bechdel Test? YES

Helen has a supportive best friend and work peer named Christina (Denise Gough). It’s rare to see female/non-binary friendships among middle-aged characters that focus solely on the adults themselves; usually, female-presenting adults this age are shown in caregiving contexts, whether for children, aging parents, or both.

On the other hand, Helen’s mother (Lindsay Duncan) is much more one-dimensional, and her only purpose seems to be fretting about her child. Additionally, flashbacks exclusively focus on Helen and their dad, painting a lopsided portrait of the family dynamic.

Race: 1/5

Other than the occasional extra, there are only two people of colour in the entire film: a man with whom Helen has a one-night stand, and a man who literally bumps into Helen and Mabel on the street. But Oxford has always been a diverse and multicultural city, with people of colour making up almost 40% of the population in 2011. H is for Hawk’s distorted portrayal of Oxford is disappointing.

Bonus for Age: +0.50

While family stories have their place in cinema, it’s pleasing to see H is for Hawk take a different route. With Foy and Gough (and the majority of the cast, really) in their forties at the time of this review, and Gleeson and Duncan in their seventies, it’s refreshing that the film focuses on work and hobbies rather than on caregiving, showing that there are many different ways to live full lives as adults.

Deduction for LGBTQ: -0.50

In real life, Helen Macdonald is non-binary and uses they/she pronouns. While romance isn’t a focus (or even a subplot) of the film, it feels tactical that Helen’s one-night stand is with a man, and that the film never alludes to Macdonald’s gender identity, implying heterosexuality when reality is more nuanced.

Mediaversity Grade: C 3.17/5

While the focus on Helen and Christina’s friendship is welcome, Lowthorpe irons out the most interesting complexities of Macdonald’s lived experience. As a result, H is for Hawk is whiter and straighter than the actual story it’s based on.

Like H is for Hawk? Try these other films about grief.

Grade: CLiDecember 2, 2025Great for: Age, Great for: Technical