Claire Foy Soars in Sneak Peek From Grief-Stricken Biographical Drama [Exclusive]

Claire Foy is about to share the screen with her highest-flying co-star ever in the upcoming biographical drama, H Is for Hawk. Based on Helen Macdonald‘s 2014 memoir of the same name, the film will soar into theaters next week on January 23, recounting how Macdonald navigated the tragic death of their father through losing themselves in their shared memories of bird-watching. At the center of the story, however, is their decision to embrace the tradition of falconry and adopt a European goshawk, a notoriously difficult yet rewarding raptor to train. Before the feature takes flight, Collider can exclusively share a new sneak peek that shows the exact moment Helen (Foy) meets and bonds with their new avian companion, Mabel, who will change their life in ways they could never imagine.

In the clip, Helen has arrived to pick up the goshawk they arranged to adopt and gets a close-up view of the bird’s fierce expression when peeking into its box. The man giving away the animal offers them a proper look when he opens up the enclosure and welcomes Mabel up into his arms. Although they signed up for this, Helen’s a bit intimidated when they see the bird wildly flap about and screech as her handler gets a hold of her, and they’re a little uneasy trying to get Mabel’s hood on to calm her down. It doesn’t help that the handler suggests a good round of murder is best to get the hawk under control. However, when the man realizes he made a mistake and Helen was meant to receive the other hawk in his care, they’re adamant that Mabel is the one. It may take a bit of extra paperwork to get ownership transferred over, but Helen knew which bird to let into their life the moment their eyes met.

The exchange begins a remarkable bond for Helen, giving them a deeper connection to both the natural world and European traditions. Yet, they find the greatest benefit of teaching Mabel how to hunt and soar freely is how the experience gets them in touch with their emotions. Losing their father felt like the only person in the world who truly understood them was gone, but the goshawk helps them heal and discover a place and purpose when they feared there was none. It’s an unusual relationship that anchors an unconventional exploration of grief helmed by BAFTA-winning Call the Midwife director Philippa Lowthorpe.

Foy Is Surrounded By Talent in ‘H Is for Hawk’

After wrapping up long-running television roles in The Crown and Wolf Hall, the two-time Emmy-winning Foy landed on H Is a Hawk alongside the Oscar-nominated The Banshees of Inisherin star Brendan Gleeson. He embodies Helen’s soft-spoken photographer father, Alisdair Macdonald, also joining Andor‘s Denise Gough. The screenplay was penned by Lowthorpe along with Emma Donoghue and Macdonald, and featured a production team including Lena Headey, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner. Following its premiere at Telluride, the drama earned plenty of acclaim from critics, landing a 75% score on Rotten Tomatoes with high praise for the cast, including Foy’s avian co-star.

H Is for Hawk flies into theaters on January 23. Check out our exclusive sneak peek in the player above.

Release Date

August 29, 2025

Runtime

128 minutes

Director

Philippa Lowthorpe

Writers

Helen Macdonald, Emma Donoghue

Producers

Dede Gardner, Lena Headey, Jeremy Kleiner, Tory Lenosky