Phillippa Lowthorpe’s “H is for Hawk” is an early 2026 sleeper, a nice surprise in a season typically full of post-yuletide filler.
Most January movies don’t stick around and leave no impression. Not this one.
Claire Foy stars as Helen MacDonald, an academic researcher who is devastated by the death of her father, played by Brendan Gleeson. By random chance, Helen is paired with a hawk, who she trains and keeps in her home.
Initially, this only adds to Helen’s personal struggles, but her breakthroughs in the training lead to a personal catharsis for them both. The film is based on a true story.
Foy gives a powerful performance, depicting how a new relationship with an animal can be a way to counter overwhelming grief.
Based on MacDonald’s 2014 memoir of the same name, “H is for Hawk” is another great showcase for Foy, a consistently terrific actress who has come close to stardom but has managed to make great choices and turn in one standout turn after another. Foy has been so good for so long, it’s always a pleasure to catch up with her latest work.
“H is for Hawk” is strikingly similar to “The Friend,” the 2025 drama about a writer (Naomi Watts) mourning the death of her best friend (Bill Murray), who, in his passing, gifts her his Great Dane, who becomes her closest companion. “The Friend” is my favorite film from last year and has scenes that are similar to what we have here.
Both films are about how a key mentor figure leaves the protagonist with a project/companion. Both films have ample flashbacks to keep the mentor in the story after they’ve died (Gleeson and Murray play deceased characters but have ample flashbacks and dramatically impactful scenes).
Just as Murray’s scenes in “The Friend” are flashbacks that reflect on the absence of his character, the sequences between Foy and Gleason showcase their gentle chemistry and demonstrate why Helen was so close to her father.
Another comparison, and easily the most complimentary, is that both films avoid being cutesy animal comedies or family farces with adorable reaction shots and poop gags. Neither film is a bummer, but both explore how a new, highly unusual friendship is preferable to being still and allowing grief to eat us alive.
Finally, like “The Friend,” “H is for Hawk” manages to be funny and smart without resembling a mechanical Disney feel-good comedy.
The scenes of Helen training her hawk, with the cinematography and editing in tour de force mode, are wonderful. Considering how much suspense the film generates just from having the hawk on Helen’s arm, the drama always resonates, and the training sequences are fascinating.
I enjoyed “H is for Hawk “a lot, but it could have been tighter and loses its grip when it meanders into other facets of Helen’s life. Still, I give the film credit for remaining entertaining and never becoming a schmaltzy, manipulative drag.
I prefer “The Friend” because it’s a tighter film, but this one matches it for emotional richness and is also worth seeing on the big screen.
Three Stars (out of four)