‘H Is For Hawk’ Trailer – Claire Foy Navigates Grief, Self-Care and Falconry in Compelling Drama

Telling a story of navigating grief through training a goshawk seems unconventional. H Is For Hawk pierces through this unconventionality and delivers a compelling film adaptation of the best-selling memoir of the same name.

Directed by Philippa Lowthorpe, the film stars Golden Globe winner Claire Foy and Academy Award nominee Brendan Gleeson.

H is for Hawk follows Helen (Foy), who, after the sudden death of her father (Gleeson), loses herself in the memories of their time birding and exploring the natural world together and turns the ancient art of falconry—rooted in European tradition—training a wild goshawk named Mabel to navigate her profound loss. But as she teaches Mabel to hunt and fly free, Helen discovers how deeply she has neglected her own emotions and life. What begins as an act of endurance transforms into an intimate journey of resilience and healing.

“When I was asked to come on board as a director, my dad had actually just died,” says Lowthorpe when asked by FILMHOUNDS how the memoir’s story impacted her. “It really spoke to me about a daughter’s relationship with her dad—a good dad—and how that sudden death sort of looks like it was going to destroy Helen. But actually it didn’t in the end, and she found a kind of catharsis and hope, and that made me feel better.

J Don Birnam of Next Best Picture reviewed the film, praising Foy for her gripping portrayal of Helen, “Foy anchors the film with remarkable vulnerability, balancing melancholy with flashes of fulfillment as Helen reconnects with her father through memories and photos. Her performance is neither understated nor showy, but finely calibrated to convey the depth of grief that most viewers can only begin to imagine.”

H Is For Hawk had its United States premiere at Telluride Film Festival in August. The film’s European premiere took place at Zurich Film Festival in September, where it won the Golden Eye Award in the Gala Premieres category, and was also screened at BFI London Film Festival throughout October. Roadside Attractions will handle U.S. distribution, with a limited theater run for one week in December and broader release set for January 6, 2026.

Watch the official trailer for H Is For Hawk above.