Hawk is Dying Movie Review

MOVIE REVIEW: The Hawk is Dying

05/23/07

SYPNOSIS: George and Fred share one great, all-consuming passion: falconry, the age-old sport of kings. In the training of hawks and falcons, a sport unchanged for thousands of years, George senses a continuity with the past that he feels is lacking in the modern world. Having been affected by the majesty of the hawk earlier in life, he has repeatedly tried to tame the wild bird, but each attempt has ended in the hawk’s death. (As he learned the hard way, trapped hawks will sometimes starve themselves to death rather than submit.) George and Fred again catch a hawk - the most magnificent George has ever seen – and in a desperate attempt to find meaning in his life, he refuses to sleep and eat until the hawk does, and ties his fate to the animals.

When tragedy strikes the family, George becomes even more obsessed with taming the wild, red-tail hawk, and his intense focus on the bird borderlines madness. George’s subsequent fixation with training the bird becomes so extreme that it bewilders and alienates those around him.

The movie is based on Southern writer Harry Crew’s 1973 semi autobiographical novel, “The Hawk is Dying”.

FILM REVIEW: How many people do you know, outside of theme park and zoo professionals, that have captured a hawk and kept it as a “pet”? As bizarre as that may sound, so is this movie. Then again, one of the defining characteristics of independent films is that they are bizarre; rebels of mainstream. That is what makes them special, and this one is no different. Take a modern-day, ordinary bunch of people (each with their issues), with ordinary lifestyles (student, employee, small business owner), in an ordinary town (Gainesville, Florida) and throw in an extraordinary hobby as falconry and you’ve got an interesting mix of something rarely seen.

The movie drags a bit here and there and can be gloomy and depressing at times but overall it flows at a decent pace. The look, sounds, and feel of the motion picture are very realistic as if it were a home movie. The connection to the characters, though sufficient, could have been better. You can relate to them, but the emotional bond is not too strong. It must be the hawk then that brings life to the film. Yes, yes it is. The hawk gets you with its claws and you find it difficult to break free. Well, and there’s also Paul Giamatti. He makes the movie. It’s not a matter of IF he’ll ever get an Oscar, it’s a matter of WHEN. He delivers another great performance and completely owns the role. The movie would have been weak if it weren’t for Paul. Oh yeah, the hawk was very impressive too.

This movie is not for anyone currently suffering from depression. It is, however, for those that can appreciate and enjoy the art of film and storytelling.

Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com