Claire Foy Soars In Emotional H Is For Hawk Film

In the world of cinema, few stories cut as close to the bone as those that bravely explore the complexities of grief, identity, and healing. This January, audiences in the United States are witnessing just such a tale with the release of "H is for Hawk," a deeply affecting film adaptation of Helen Macdonald’s acclaimed 2014 memoir. Directed by Philippa Lowthorpe with a screenplay co-written by Lowthorpe and Emma Donoghue, the film stars Claire Foy—renowned for her Emmy-winning turn as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown—as Helen, a university professor grappling with the sudden loss of her beloved father, Alisdair Macdonald.

It’s 2007 in the film’s timeline, and Helen, shattered by her father’s unexpected death, finds herself drifting. Her prestigious fellowship at Cambridge is ending, her romantic life is in tatters, and the world she once understood seems to have slipped out of reach. In a move that surprises even herself, Helen purchases a goshawk—a notoriously difficult bird of prey to train, and a creature as solitary as she is. The year she spends with the hawk, whom she names Mabel, becomes both a journey of self-discovery and a desperate attempt to fill the void left by her father’s absence.

According to Rough Draft Atlanta, the film is anything but a conventional animal-heals-human weepy. Instead, it delves into the thorny question of whether the very thing that keeps us afloat in times of sorrow might also be the thing that isolates us further. The cinematography by Charlotte Bruus Christensen is lauded for capturing both the wild freedom of the English countryside and the suffocating isolation of Helen’s grief-stricken world. Claire Foy’s performance is described as “quietly moving,” her portrayal of Helen’s longing and vulnerability anchoring the film’s emotional core.

Foy’s connection to the project began with a conversation with producer Dede Gardner, with whom she previously worked on Women Talking. Gardner encouraged her to read Macdonald’s memoir. “I was really—moved isn’t really the right word for it. I was very overwhelmed and it stayed with me,” Foy told ScreenRant. “Helen’s writing is beautiful and the book has had such a profound impact on so many people. It’s a really beautiful thing that’s happened with their memoir, where it means so much to people, that they share it with other people.”

Before filming, Foy met with Helen Macdonald via Zoom. She wanted to ensure that her portrayal would honor Macdonald’s experience. “I wanted to make sure that I could thank them for the trust that they put in me,” Foy shared. “Also, just to make sure that they were aware that my intentions were hopefully to honor their experience and not to kind of do anything weird with it.” The two have since spent time together, and Foy describes Macdonald as “just the best person to spend time with.”

Working with a real goshawk for the film was a transformative experience for Foy. “I think my relationship to birds and birds of prey, particularly, definitely changed,” she said. “To have the opportunity to get to know an entire species, which is so different to anything else, has been such an honor. I’m much more knowledgeable, much more aware, much more curious and interested. That feels like a real gift, really.”

The film’s narrative, as detailed by Rough Draft Atlanta, doesn’t shy away from the rawness of Helen’s journey. Early in the film, after Mabel disappears during a hunt, Helen’s panic is palpable. “She’s not fine,” she screams when someone tries to reassure her. “She’s gonna get f*cking lost!” It’s a moment that lays bare Helen’s identification with her hawk—her fear of being lost in the world, untethered and unseen. The film repeatedly draws parallels between Helen’s solitary nature and the wild, predatory instincts of Mabel, described by a family friend as “a perfectly evolved psychopath.”

Isolation is a recurring visual theme. Helen is often shown alone with Mabel, whether navigating crowded streets where passersby keep their distance or attending faculty parties where she stands apart, hawk perched on her arm. Even in the company of others, Helen’s grief sets her adrift. “I think he was the only person in the world who truly understood me,” Helen says about her father. Mabel becomes both a surrogate for that lost understanding and a reminder of how alien the world can feel.

Yet, as the film progresses, Helen’s immersion in the world of the goshawk is shown to be both a balm and a barrier. She finds solace in the logic and purpose of the natural world—witnessing Mabel’s hunting, the cycle of life and death—but struggles to make sense of her own loss, the senselessness of sudden death, and the rituals of mourning. The film’s wildlife photography is striking, particularly in scenes where Helen sits with Mabel after a hunt, blood on her forehead from the hawk’s latest kill, at ease in the face of nature’s brutality but haunted by the chaos of her personal grief.

Foy, who is also credited as an executive producer on the film, is quick to downplay her behind-the-scenes role. “I feel like the executive producer title was only to honor kind of the input that I had in the forming of the project, I suppose, as much as everybody else. That’s a really lovely thing, but I’m not a producer. That is not something that I can say that I’m wanting, you know? That’s just not part of my gifted life. Acting remains my focus and I think I enjoy being able to leave it at the door and being able to say—That’s someone else’s problem. So, I quite enjoy the freedom of acting.”

Her interview on the Empire Podcast (episode #702, released January 23, 2026) delved into her experiences working with co-star Brendan Gleeson, who plays Helen’s father, and highlighted the film’s emotional depth. The podcast also touched on broader industry trends and the Oscar buzz surrounding the film, with Foy reflecting on the growing presence of female writers, directors, and producers in the business. “The presence of an encouragement of female writers, directors, producers is something that was not necessarily happening when I was first attempting to act. I think that is still something that really needs to be encouraged and moved forward, but that’s really encouraging.”

Nearly two decades into her career, Foy remains passionate about choosing roles that resonate deeply with her. “I think my radar for what is something that I want to be part of is pretty bang-on. I’m not very good at faking things, so I can’t really do things unless I’m totally invested and totally in it. I think that I’ve possibly done that before and I feel like the most rewarding things are definitely things that your whole heart, your whole experience, is why you’re doing it.”

Asked what she would say to Helen Macdonald during their darkest moments, Foy’s empathy shines through: “I don’t think anything anyone can say can be a relief or comfort when you’re in the depths of this sort of psychological trauma that Helen is experiencing, and also such seismic grief. I think the only thing I would like to say is that you’re not going to do anything wrong. There’s nothing wrong about what you’re doing, and that the universe is holding you. It’s alright—just you carry on. At some point in the future, things will seem a bit brighter, but you’re doing the right thing. Just believe that you’re doing the right thing.”

With H is for Hawk now in U.S. theaters and drawing both critical and audience acclaim, it’s clear that Helen Macdonald’s story—brought to life with nuance and compassion by Claire Foy—continues to resonate, reminding us all that healing is rarely straightforward, and that sometimes, the wildest journeys are the ones that bring us home.