Review of The Hawk Is Dying (2007) by Autumn E — 29 Nov 2007

I very much wanted to like "The Hawk Is Dying." Jon Goldberger, an old roommate of mine, scored the film and his older brother, Julian, directed it. Sadly, the film is a monotonous mess. Paul Giamatti and Michelle Williams contribute adequate performances, but an actor can do only so much; Goldberger's screenplay is burdened with heavy-handed symbolism and over wrought dialogue.

Visually, "Hawk" is more successful. Goldberger and his cinematographer include some elegant shots and sequences, suggesting that once over the sophomore hump, Goldberger's eye might be an asset to a future project.

Particularly frustrating for me, however, was the film's woeful ignorance of natural history. In one scene, Giamatti's character describes watching a hawk diving on a flock of vultures and driving them away.

Doubtful, at best. More unforgivable, though, is the use of a Jackal buzzard (Buteo rufofuscus) instead of a red-tailed hawk, despite constant talk of "the beautiful red-tail." Why not make the minimal effort needed to secure the correct species? There's really no excuse for it.