Claire Foy gets hawk therapy

Back when the movie version of Wild came out, my outdoor enthusiast husband groused in surprise, “But it doesn’t show you how to hike the Pacific Crest Trail.” Well, no because the author uses hiking as a conduit to deal with grief. Fast forward to the memoir H is for Hawk and discover that the movie does not give you great advice about falconry or birding. In this instance, falconry, like hiking, serves as a conduit for dealing with grief—hawk therapy rather than walk therapy.  Helen Macdonald’s story adapted by Emma Donoghue and director Phillippa Lowthorp, details how a hawk helped the author relieve depression caused by her father’s unexpected death. Claire Foy as Helen and Brendan Gleeson as dad show a warm and close bonding, especially when it comes to nature. Dad’s death spurs Helen to get a bird they both admired, though falconers realize that the species of goshawk ranks among the most difficult to deal with. This means director Lowthorp relies heavily on cinematography from Charlotte Bruus Christensen and wildlife specialist Mark Payne-Gill to capture the bird’s magnificence both indoors and outside. Cameras love hawks. Their eyes gleam with intensity as they focus on whatever catches their attention—prey, they hope, but pretty much any movement. Up close the birds’ feathers reveal intricate patterns. Neither warm nor cuddly, hawks generate respect if not love. Author Macdonald emphasizes that all living creatures can develop special relationships, a trait captured by Foy as she gamely handles the hawk, spontaneously talking and reacting to unplanned movements.  But while the bird impresses, H is for Hawk targets the human need to realize that life includes death and finding a path to acceptance comes in many forms.