The Hawk Is Dying

This American feature film is not starring Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise or Jack Nicholson or Julia Roberts or Cameron Diaz. This American feature film does not take place a big city. And you won't see big cars, big money, big guns, crude sex or kung fu fighting or murders with ice-picks. Then what's left ? Well…picture a typical American family…no don't.

The "family" is composed of a man, George, living with his overweight sister abandoned by her stupid husband who couldn't bear bringing up an autistic son. Oh. I forgot to add the family pet : a not yet domesticated red tailed hawk. And that's the point : George tries to domesticate the hawk at all costs. So what is the hawk ? That is the question you'll have to answer by yourself. A fascinating film with excellent playing from the main actor as well as beautiful photography throughout the film.

This has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with your regular Hollywood dung. Answer this : are you willing to watch something different, something beautiful and mystic with no masticated answers shoved down your throat ?

a film about hope. and about freedom. about life. and its heart. all in skin of a story about nothing. it is difficult to give a verdict in this case. because it is, in same measure, boring, strange and cool. important is the great performance. especially, the admirable work of Paul Giamatti who gives to his character entire force of beauty, fragility and solitude. a man of a hawk. that is all. nothing more. desire of sense and joy. fight against yourself. need of love and fear in large doses. a bitter movie. cruel, tender and very cold. nothing more. but something does a little ray of light in this ice castle of feelings. its source - the viewer. because it is possibility to understand than this film is about yourself.

I was lucky enough to catch this film last week at Sundance. Without hearing much buzz compared to other films, the big push on this film was a follow up to Director Julian Goldberger's "TRANS" which I have not seen. I only know the connection to be in "middle Florida" which I've spent some time in.

I was completely blown away by this story... well acted, beautifully executed with terrific character development. The climax of this film for me to see Giamatti's character finally conquer the wild hawk and deal with his own demon's brought on a flush of emotion.

This was my favorite film that I saw at Sundance and hope that it reaches wide release.

I just saw this movie in Los Angeles in quite a limited screening. I was compelled to go as a Crews fan, yet this movie surpassed my expectations. Julian Goldberger is now one of my favorite directors and I believe this movie is brilliant. Beautifully shot with incredible hand held cinematography, a lush setting where "nature was a character"and a deep commitment to humanism and the complex feelings of love and meaning, this film truly resonates within the individual. The idea of how we relate to the day to day, to the absurd, to nature and the wild are just some of the things I loved about the movie. The setting was magical as the bird. I felt the wild, I felt the loneliness, I felt the love and the music of the earth. Giamatti(amazingamazing),Williams(really good), Schwimmer, Wisdom, Pitt, MacCaulay all were attop form; they portrayed the true characters and the realism that makes Crews so attractive. I found myself unbelievably moved at the sadness and joy and everything in between. This movie is so layered in good flimmaking, I could go on and on...from the players, the director, the incredible sound (THE SOUND!!), and the unbelievable photography/cinematography. The screen adaptation is slightly different from the novel, but I believe it captures the largeness and smallness of our world and mysteries of life. It flows and the tension and release are palpable. Although this film was not well-received atSundance and, according to the QandA, most reviews dismal, I found thisrefreshing. So often what is outside the status quo is co-opted; themarginalized becomes the mainstream in a base and compromised position. I hate that people namedrop Harry Crews as a badge of cool, along with their silkscreened tshirts and overpriced jeans. I doubt that Jarmusch or Altman were well received at first either. Now they are listed on those "cool" folks myspace page. This movie should extend beyond all reviews; it stands as a strong work of art and an intelligent beautiful movie. The only reason I do not give it a 10 is because ...well I'm changing my vote to a 10. This ranks as one of my favorite movies of all time.

Another film that showcases the talents of Paul Giamatti. I feel as though he may be one of the best actors of the early 20th century. Alone, his performance was worth the price of admission. His performance is award worthy. The film captures the ambiance of Alachua County Florida, and the director knew how to capture excellent performances from the cast (especially the hawks). See this film for the exceptional believability of the cast. Not a movie for crunching popcorn in, but a good film none the less. If I was to have anything negative at all to say about the film, is that it suffered from a lack of pacing at times. I will give it my highest rating - I felt as though I got my money's worth! Seen at Sundance 06 24 Jan