The trailer for H is for Hawk, an upcoming biographical film starring Claire Foy, has officially landed. Hailed as an "unconventional yet moving grief drama" by Variety, the movie, which is based on Helen Macdonald's bestselling memoir, will land in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on 23 January 2026.
Directed by Philippa Lowthorpe, H is for Hawk follows Helen, a woman struggling with the death of her father, Alisdair Macdonald (Brendan Gleeson). Rounding out the cast, Sam Spruell, Josh Dylan, Denise Gough, Lindsay Duncan, Emma Cunniffe and Arty Froushan also appear.
"When Helen's beloved father passes away, she is knocked sideways by grief and loses herself in memories of their time birding and exploring the natural world together," explains the synopsis.
"She becomes obsessed with the idea of training her own goshawk, and so she brings the fearsome bird Mabel home to her life as a graduate fellow at Cambridge. Helen fills the freezer with hawk food and turns off her phone, ready to embark on the long, strange business of trying to train this wildest of animals.
"But as she labours to tame Mabel, a grieving Helen undergoes an untaming of her own. A record of a spiritual journey, H is for Hawk is a story about memory and nature and how it might be possible to reconcile death with life and love."
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The drama, which premiered at the 52nd Telluride Film Festival in August, followed by the London Film Festival in October, has already won rave reviews, including a Certified Fresh score of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes.
"Foy is terrific in a film which balances bruising candour about mental health issues against arresting wildlife photography and a fervent appreciation of the natural world," raved Screen International.
"A prestige drama it may be, but it's at its best when it's a little messy and wild, and content to let the feathers fly," noted The Daily Telegraph.
Meanwhile, Variety mused: "Instead of bemoaning what's missing, it's best to recognise what is there. On that front, H Is for Hawk remains a moving account of one person's eccentric interest in falconry."
H is for Hawk will land in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on 23 January 2026.
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