H is for Hawk, No Other Choice and Send Help

 

The goshawk was the star of H is for Hawk. What an amazing creature it is. Claire Foy plays Helen, a fellow at Jesus College Cambridge where she teaches history and other stuff. But it's when her beloved father played by Brendon Gleeson dies that she struggles to cope. So enter Mabel, the goshawk who fills Helen's life to the detriment of her work. Emma Donoghue adapted the famous book by Helen McDonald and Phillipa Lowthorpe directs with sensitivity. This is a rather sombre story, we feel Helen's struggles into grief and squaler despite the loving attention of her mother played with absolute brilliance by Lindsay Duncan. 

Also on hand to help are Helen's best friend played by Denise Gough with a strange antipodean accent. But it's Claire Foy who is so good. I have seen four of the films which have Oscar nominations for actress in a leading role and none of them in my opinion are anything like as good as Foy. But this is a small film, it was only on at Hemel Hempstead for a week. There are no nominations for awards, not even at the Golden Globes. It is a slightly depressing film so maybe that is why. But I loved the scenes in Cambridge, and the music of early twenty first century and Helen's penchant for even earlier records. Apache by The Shadows is one of my all time favourites. 

We could have done with some story about what happens after the film suddenly finishes. Guy Lodge in Sight and Sound Magazine calls it a "handsome, stout-hearted film" and plays tribute to Foy's "fine performance". Peter Bradshaw in his Guardian review was equally positive. 

One review of No Other Choice recommended that we watch it on the biggest screen possible. So when Cineworld at Hemel Hempstead showed it in their IMAX theatre, I paid the extra. I was very surprised that a South Korean subtitled film made it's way to this huge auditirium where I was one of only three in attandance. It was not even shown at the Odeon. Of course this is a Park Chan-wook film of which I have seen five including the English language movie Stoker. There are particular scenes where the big screen comes into it's own, especially the distant shots of the exteriors of the house and garden where much of the action takes place. And at the end in an ultra hi-tech factory.

But this is a strange story based on the book The Ax by Donald Westlake. Man-su played by Lee Byun-Hun is made redundant from his many years at a paper factory. All he knows about is paper. He lives with his wife and two children in this lovely isolated house he shares with his wife (I thought Son-ye jin was by far the best thing about the film, strong, supportive, hard working and atractive). But Man-su has other ideas when he fails to secure alternative employment. Much of the story involves just the family. That was OK, but the scenes of Man-su trying to eliminate the competition for a new job descends into farce and chaos. Yes, they were cleverly filmed and it's meant to be a satire, but their clash with family life seemed strained. I'm not sure whether a western movie would tolerate what was going on and getting away with it. A black comedy, yes, but so uneven. Maybe I went in with my hopes too high.

There is one American song on the soundtrack: Sam and Dave's Hold on, I'm Comin' from 1966. Pumped out from the big IMAX speakers this was something else. Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian gave the film four stars which is just about right. Nicolas Rapolo in a long review in Sight ans Sound Magazine calls it "comic yet grisly". He compares this film with the director's Decision to Leave that I felt was far superior. I can now read the four page spread by Arjun Sajip in the magazine.

Does this like that mousy yet invaluable member of staff from Strategy and Planning? Rachel McAdams is almost unrecognisable as dowdy Linda Liddle, only on the plane to a conference as she knows more than anyone. When the plane goes down, who is the only other suvivor but the new CEO Bradley Preston played with unstoppable awfulness by Dylan O'Brien. You would think that Linda, saving him from a certain death on the beach, tending to his injuries, sheltering and feeding him, would make him so thankful. But no. Even through the many times she helps him, he always reverts to type. Which is not very nice.

So basically a two hander about surviving on a deserted island. Linda was a huge fan of the TV show Survivor and her skills here are amazing. The sets are very clever, a jungle type of island where the many palm trees are a source of everything you might need. Including the spear Linda uses to make dinner. She doesn't want to be rescued as moaning Bradley cannot think of anything else. Rachel McAdams holds the whole movie together. She had supporting roles in so many films I have seen to other starring performances such as Red Eye (2005), Spotlight (2015) and Game Night (2018).

It just over halfway when things turn ugly. Linda might not be that friend you would always pray for in such circumstances. And Bradley has that permanent menace and entitlement that clashes with Linda's sense of fun. Until. Strangely enough there are quite a few laughs along the way. Director Sam Raimi (amongst his many mainstream films is another comedy horror Drag me to Hell that is also very clever) has made a very entertaining movie. There are reports of horror, but these are basically human clashes. Except maybe for the beast. But it's mainly an exciting romp. Mark Kermode thought it "just had the right degree of nasty and surprise" and that he had "an absolute ball". Me too. Obviously Sight and Sound magazine thought it too popular to include any mention.