H Is for Hawk, Philippa Lowthorpe’s latest fiction feature, has screened at BFI London as part of the BFI Patrons’ Gala. The film, based on Helen Macdonald's memoir of the same name, published in 2014, had its world premiere at Telluride and will hit US cinemas in December.

In 2007, Helen (Claire Foy), daughter of award-winning photographer Alisdair Macdonald (Brendan Gleeson), is living in Cambridge and is a fellow of Jesus College, where she teaches History and Philosophy of Science. Nature is a major part of her life and seems to be a passion that she has inherited from her father. That’s why, when he dies suddenly of a heart attack, Helen decides that the best way to process her grief is to adopt a goshawk, which she names Mabel. To everyone else, it may appear an unusual choice, but the relationship between the two seems to bring her enough happiness for a while. Over time, though, it becomes clear that there’s still a lot left to process, and depression begins to set in.

Throughout, Foy delivers a superlative performance, calibrating every pause and delivering extremely believable reactions in her relationship with Mabel. Certain scenes are undoubtedly memorable, both in their moments of sorrow and in their flashes of joy. Meanwhile, although Gleeson's presence is relatively limited, thanks to the actor’s screen presence, it's more than enough to build a strong and loveable character, and he makes it easy to understand why his daughter is so distraught after his passing.

Thanks to the acting and the script (co-written by the director and Irish-Canadian novelist and playwright Emma Donoghue), the film is overall very strong in terms of the emotional involvement it elicits, but it sometimes feels like Lowthorpe is trying to play it a tad too safe. H Is for Hawk never takes too many risks in its pacing or style, and paradoxically, its boldest moment comes too late – right at the end. Predictability is probably its biggest flaw, even if the goshawk’s presence definitely adds a touch of oddness.

In the past, Lowthorpe dabbled in documentary, and this is easily readable in her approach to the most “scientific” shots, which come across as very well executed, almost as if we were watching a nature show. She has also worked on many TV series, and that’s probably why several scenes feel like they could belong in a longer format, rather than a film – they can seem a bit diluted and overly polished, instead of carrying the raw intensity that could have made H Is for Hawk feel like a true gut punch, even though it remains undeniably moving, as it touches on one of the most primordial feelings of despair: the loss of a parent.

The film probes some fascinating and underexplored themes. It poses questions not only about how we cope with grief through our connection to animals, but also about the ethics of allowing the goshawk to simply be itself. It raises issues about control and morality: is hunting acceptable when guided by a human? Is restricting the bird to behaviour that runs counter to its nature any better? And should we really impose human morals on nature at all? Helen has her own answers, which she shares in an altered state in one of the best scenes of the movie, but these questions open up for the audience in a very shrewdly planned way.

H Is for Hawk is a UK-US co-production staged by Film4, Saturnia and Plan B Entertainment, in association with Cardiff-based Good Gate Media. Its world sales are handled by Protagonist Pictures.