H Is For Hawk… as K is for Kes.
And I can’t wait for the sequel… H Is For Steps!
Oh, you knew that was coming… but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for Helen (Claire Foy – All Of Us Strangers), as her photographer Dad (Brendan Gleeson – not exactly pulling off a Scottish accent) has passed away, obviously distracting her from her job, as a lecturer at Cambridge, which comes with a place to live, so you’d think she would want to get on the ball with that.
That said, she does have a potential job offer in Berlin, which as everyone knows, is just exactly like Stockport!
As you’d expect, Helen sees her Dad wherever she goes, such as when doing the gardening – reminding me similarly, how even 11 years after my Dad died, I see birds in trees and he would know every single type, whereas I haven’t got the first idea.
Still, in the same way that one of her friends has a hawk, she also now wants to buy one on a whim, a bit like my Steamdeck, quite frankly, although my impulse purchase didn’t need to be kept on a leash to let it know who’s boss!
And when the feisty bird has its hood on, it looks like the gimp in Pulp Fiction!
She doesn’t take the best precautions when taking the hawk training, though, given how she walks around on farmland in her regular shoes, not wellies, which is quite daft. But as she follows her new pursuit, Helen becomes quite distant from her job, and most humans, in fact.
Although H Is For Hawk is based upon novellist Helen MacDonald‘s own life experience of owning a hawk, it seemed odd that there’s no funeral for her Dad, but instead, a memorial for him which seems to come a long time after his death. You’d all normally gather at a funeral, not months later.
Still, it’s well-directed – especially the scenes where they take the hawk out flying, but overall, the film does go on a bit, and doesn’t need to last the full 115 minutes.
Additionally, although I saw this film on a Tuesday afternoon, I was completely on my own in the auditorium. Most recently I’ve had that happen on two Sunday occasions for The Lyricist Wannabe, and the remake of The Wedding Banquet, although I still remember that my first ever occurrence of this was back in 1994 for Geena Davis’ Angie… unsurprisingly, it disappeared after its first week.
Sadly, H Is For Hawk has gone the same route.
H Is For Hawk is in cinemas now, and is available to pre-order on Blu-ray and DVD.
You can also buy Helen MacDonald’s novel.
NOTE: There are no mid- nor post-credits scenes.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 115 minutes
Release date: January 23rd 2026
Studio: Lionsgate Films UK
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 (Super 16)
Cinema: Odeon Trafford Centre
Rating: 7/10
Director: Philippa Lowthorpe
Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner
Screenplay: Emma Donoghue, Philippa Lowthorpe
Novel: Helen MacDonald
Music: Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch
Cast:
Helen: Claire Foy
Dad: Brendan Gleeson
Mum: Lindsay Duncan
Christina: Denise Gough
Female Undergrad: Imogen Dufty
James: Josh Dylan
Funeral Director: Carys Eleri
Young Helen: Eden Hamilton
Male Academic: James Parsons
Amar: Arty Froushan
Master: William Chubb
Master’s Wife: Miranda Bell
Stuart: Sam Spruell
Mandy: Emma Cunniffe
Breeder: Sean Kearns
Charlie: Garry Cooper
Director of Studies: Kamal Simpson
Professor Campbell: Katy Carmichael
Aimee: Darcy Alexander
GP: Naomi Wirthner
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.