--- title: "H Is for Hawk: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/h-is-for-hawk/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/h-is-for-hawk" critics_score: 66 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # H Is for Hawk (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 66 from 10 reviews: 6 positive, 2 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics agree on Claire Foy and on little else. Her performance as Helen, dry, irritable and physically convincing with the goshawk, is praised in nearly every review, and several single out her handling of the bird as the film’s surest element. The wildlife photography draws steady admiration too. The reservations gather in two places. One is length: a good share of the reviews find the film slow and repetitive, with a third act that drifts and blunts the ending. The other is the adaptation itself, with a run of critics arguing that Philippa Lowthorpe smooths away the memoir’s grit and interior complexity and leaves something tidier than the book. The i Paper goes furthest, calling the result bloodless and closer to a children’s wildlife documentary, and IndieWire finds the book’s essence lost in translation. The spread is wide, from warm raves to outright dismissal, with most settling on cautious approval. ## The New York Times — Alissa Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 22 January 2026. The adaptation centers on Claire Foy as Helen, who turns to training a goshawk to process her father's death and finds unexpected solace in nature. The film explores grief's disorienting effects and offers a message of eventual healing. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/movies/h-is-for-hawk-review.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Isaac Feldberg Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2026. Foy delivers a heartbreaking, restrained performance as the grieving Helen, conveying sorrow beneath a stoic exterior while finding solace in the goshawk. The film is overly long-winded with repetitive scenes that undercut its emotional payoff. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/h-is-for-hawk-claire-foy-movie-review-2026) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2025. Festival review. Lowthorpe pares the memoir to focus on Helen's eccentric choice of a goshawk as emotional escapism after her father's death. Foy is compelling as the irritable, anti-social protagonist, and the film movingly depicts cross-species connection and healing. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/h-is-for-hawk-review-claire-foy-1236502594/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Angie Han Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 30 August 2025. Festival review. The film offers a sensitive portrayal of grief through a woman's bond with a goshawk after her father's death, with strong appreciation for the birds and nature. However, it is hindered by a slow, overlong runtime that dilutes its emotional impact. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/h-is-for-hawk-review-claire-foy-brendan-gleeson-1236357378/) ## Empire — Miriam Balanescu Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 20 January 2026. The film is a graceful but uneven adaptation that fails to fully convey the emotional toll of mourning despite strong performances. It praises the palpable chemistry between Claire Foy and the hawk Mabel while criticizing the script's tweeness and lack of depth in exploring grief. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/h-is-for-hawk/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 2 September 2025. Festival review. Philippa Lowthorpe’s adaptation of the memoir fails to capture the essence of the source material, resulting in a grief story that never fully takes flight despite Claire Foy's performance. The film loses much of what made the book special in its translation to screen. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/h-is-for-hawk-movie-review-claire-foy-1235148609/) ## The i Paper — Francesca Steele Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2026. The adaptation is beautiful and elegant with strong performances and cinematography capturing the bond with the hawk, but it fails to convey the memoir's grit and interiority. The result is an anaemic, bloodless film more like a kids' wildlife documentary than a raw exploration of grief. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/h-is-for-hawk-review-memoirs-films-4166004) ## Radio Times — James Mottram Rating 3 out of 5. Foy leads a unique, tender true-life tale of a grieving academic bonding with a goshawk, with impressively realistic scenes. The third act meanders, preventing the quiet study of grief and father-daughter bonds from fully taking flight. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-c6mj9k/h-is-for-hawk/) ## Screen Daily 13 October 2025. Festival review. Foy is terrific in this sensitive adaptation balancing candour about mental health with arresting wildlife photography and reverence for nature. It captures the book's meditative quality without longueurs after editing for its London screening following the Telluride premiere. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/h-is-for-hawk-review-claire-foy-soars-in-philippa-lowthorpes-sensitive-adaptation/5209848.article) ## Sight and Sound — Guy Lodge 20 January 2026. The film is a handsome, stouthearted adaptation that treats its source with care but streamlines emotional nuances and simplifies the book's complex articulation of grief. Claire Foy's dry and intense performance anchors the most moving scenes with the goshawk, while interpersonal drama remains a weak spot. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/h-hawk-claire-foy-brings-measured-intensity-this-uneven-grief-drama) ## The Guardian 13 October 2025. Festival review. The film is an intriguing if slightly precious adaptation that addresses grief through goshawk training but does not deliver a full Hollywood redemption arc. Foy's authentic handling of the bird stands out as a highlight. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oct/13/h-is-for-hawk-review-claire-foy-london-film-festival-helen-macdonald) ## The Observer — Wendy Ide 23 January 2026. Lowthorpe’s film streamlines the book effectively while preserving its emotional depth and candour about bereavement. Foy delivers a terrific, committed central performance that captures the wild intensity of grief and connection with nature. [Read the review](https://observer.co.uk/culture/film/article/h-is-for-hawk-is-a-soaring-portrait-of-life-after-death) ## The Telegraph — Robbie Collin 23 January 2026. This warm yet pensive adaptation captures the crunchily autumnal magic of the memoir through lovely lead performances and the bird’s presence. It contrasts tender flashbacks with the tentative rapport between Helen and her goshawk. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2026/01/23/h-is-for-hawk-review/) ## The Times Rating ★★★★☆. 22 January 2026. Foy has never been better in this stiff-upper-lip grief story of a woman reconciling with her father’s death through nature and a goshawk. The film admires the protagonist’s search for meaning without strings or wailing. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/h-is-for-hawk-film-review-claire-foy-zmdwbs9zw) ## Time Out — Christina Newland Rating 3 out of 5. 19 January 2026. Claire Foy shines in this low-key but moving adaptation of the memoir about grief and training a goshawk. The visual metaphors are striking and nature scenes are bleakly gorgeous, though the running time outstays its welcome. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/h-is-for-hawk-review-2026) ## The Playlist — Brian Farvour Rating A. 22 January 2026. Foy delivers a captivating performance that keeps the grief study from feeling overwhelmingly gloomy, blending pain with moments of connection through the hawk relationship. The film succeeds in its focused, non-dwellling exploration of loss and coping. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/h-is-for-hawk-review-claire-foy-captivates-a-feathered-study-of-grief-20260122/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 August 2025. Festival review. The film is a moving true story of grief and healing through the bond with a goshawk, with Claire Foy delivering her best screen work to date as the protagonist. Philippa Lowthorpe’s assured direction and the script resist easy sentimentality while showcasing remarkably beautiful cinematography of the natural world and falconry. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2025/08/h-is-for-hawk-review-claire-foy-soars-true-drama-telluride-1236501747/) ## HeyUGuys — Linda Marric Rating 4/5. 22 January 2026. The film is a precise, unsettling and quietly devastating portrayal of inhabiting grief through an obsessive, isolating bond with a goshawk, rather than a conventional healing story. Foy's authentic, physical performance is singled out as the greatest strength. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/h-is-for-hawk-review/) ## Eye for Film — Paul Risker 15 October 2025. Festival review. The critic praises the film's sensitive, patient approach to humanising grief rather than dramatising it, allowing space for the audience to connect with the protagonist's experience. Foy's quietly transformative performance and the emotional world-building through direction, cinematography, and score are highlighted as strengths. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/h-is-for-hawk-2025-film-review-by-paul-risker) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/h-is-for-hawk.md