How does a person cope with overwhelming, never-ending grief? And what can friends and family do when a loved one threatens to break under its weight? The drama H is for Hawk starring The Crown star Claire Foy (42), opening in German theaters on July 23, poses these delicate questions and offers hopeful answers.
The woman has a bird - here's what it's about
Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance - these are the five stages of grief. Professor Helen (Foy) seems to be stuck almost immediately in stage four when her quirky but lovable father (Brendan Gleeson, 71) suddenly dies. Neither self-help books and family support nor escaping into her love life help her process the loss. Then she finally has an idea that seems absurd: Helen gets herself a hawk.
She brings a bird of prey to her home in Cambridge, names it Mabel, and shows firm determination to tame the wild creature. She inherited her passion for these strong-willed birds from her father, and Helen sees it as the only way out of her mental hole. However, with each piece of raw meat in her apartment and each new scratch on her body, those around Helen grow increasingly concerned that she's only digging herself deeper into that hole.
The path back to oneself isn't a straight line
H is for Hawk is based on the autobiographical bestseller of the same name by Helen Macdonald (56). What at first sounds like a deliberately quirky Hollywood idea designed to spark curiosity actually happened. Quite paradoxically: not despite, but precisely because of its unusual plot, director Philippa Lowthorpe's (64) film feels so authentic.
The bird serves as a symbolic projection surface in multiple ways. Through the mere existence of the animal predator, Helen is forced to confront the interplay between life and death. At the same time, the struggle with the stubborn hawk allows her to feel a comforting closeness to her deceased father once more. After all, he had passed on to her the love for these complicated animals, in which Helen also sees a part of herself.
Claire Foy proves once again with her performance how talented she is at credibly bringing real figures to the screen or television. She succeeded in this as the young Queen Elizabeth in The Crown, just as she did in First Man as Neil Armstrong's wife.
The most touching moments in H is for Hawk are those in which Helen remembers shared moments with her father. In the scenes inserted as flashbacks, it becomes clear why it's so damn difficult for her to let go. Foy and Gleeson form a magnificent father-daughter duo. One that not only accepts each other's quirks but celebrates them.
Conclusion:
H is for Hawk shows what it means to live, to love, and to lose. But above all, the drama is an ode to passing things on. We are not just biology, a mere collection of genetic material. Loved ones live on through our actions. Through unusual passions, through endearing peculiarities that they consciously and unconsciously gave us throughout their lives.
