After losing her beloved father, Helen finds herself saved by an unlikely friendship with a stubborn hawk named Mabel.
Helen (Claire Foy) is a gently eccentric young Cambridge academic whose father Alisdair (Brendan Gleeson) is one of the most notable press photographers of his day. He is also his daughter’s closest friend, confidante and mentor, so when he dies she is understandably bereft. To deal with the loss, Helen buys a goshawk from a dealer, names it Mabel, and obsessively dives into training it... a unique yet effective way to deal with her grief. This is an incredible true story, a warm and pensive adaptation of Helen Macdonald’s 2014 memoir where she rediscovers the beauty of being alive. Look out for the outdoor hunting scenes, shot with natural-history-documentary photographic precision as Mabel chases down her prey, skimming mere inches over the ground and flitting instinctively between trees.
UK 2025 Phillipa Lowthorpe 114m
