The book and the film tell the true story of Helen Macdonald's grief upon the death of her much loved father and of her relationship with a goshawk that she trained. She was a Cambridge academic - quite highly strung and disorganised but happy - until the day her father died.
In a way, the goshawk became her remedy for the pain of losing her father but the relationship she forged with this wild creature became a kind of torment that threatened to drive her to the edge of madness.
Helen's central role in the film was given to the English actress Claire Foy who I believe starred in "The Crown" - though I never saw one moment of that yukky nonsense. Claire Foy was brilliant in "H is for Hawk", acting with sensitivity, reserve and full commitment to what was a very challenging role. So very different from back in 2014 when she played Janet Shearon, wife of American astronaut Neil Armstrong, in the biopic "First Man".
I understand that Claire Foy put in many hours familiarising herself with goshawks so that when it's just her and the bird on screen, the relationship appears very believable.
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/9Tyc2At
