The performance of Robert Gwyn Davin in the final stages of 'Hawk' is powerful and yet not quite supported strongly enough by the rest of the film. I care, but I feel I could care more.
The location and the cinematography ensure that the film is consistently visually stunning; creating a sense of otherworldliness that provides a powerful foundation for the action. This combined with the excellent score and the characters' mellifluous Welsh accents, works to provide the entire piece with a strong ethereal quality.
For me, other than the extraordinary aesthetic of the film, its other greatest triumph is the animals. Generally when animals are not just on screen but actually directly contribute to the narrative, it can feel very forced. Instead of it making things feel more real, all I begin to imagine is the animal's handler jumping up and down behind the camera whilst trying to reassure the director that Rover can indeed portray grief. Essentially animals often hinder films by making the audience feel more conscious of the work that is going into telling the story rather than the story itself, and at this point all illusion is lost. However, In this film the hawks are obviously key to the narrative, but actually do much more than simply allow the plot progress. Every movement of each animal and particularly the hawks feels natural, and this provides an integral link between reality and fantasy.
Paradoxically it's often when the audience is unconscious of the filmmaker's touch that they are doing their best work. What is remarkable about 'Hawk' is the delicate way in special effects and shot choice have been deeply thought about and brilliantly implemented, making the natural landscape infinitely more vivid and full of possibility. Just as with the inclusion of the different animals everything feels cohesive and natural but at the same time wonderfully enchanted.
In regards to the story my overriding sense is that what is being told is simply too grand for the 39 minutes it is allowed. Certain shots feel rushed which makes it seem as though the plot progression is too quick to properly do the story justice. It battles with other elements of the film that are particularly strong and simply cannot compete. However this is all that is lost in a film that is visually stunning as well as engaging.
The location and the cinematography ensure that the film is consistently visually stunning; creating a sense of otherworldliness that provides a powerful foundation for the action. This combined with the excellent score and the characters' mellifluous Welsh accents, works to provide the entire piece with a strong ethereal quality.
For me, other than the extraordinary aesthetic of the film, its other greatest triumph is the animals. Generally when animals are not just on screen but actually directly contribute to the narrative, it can feel very forced. Instead of it making things feel more real, all I begin to imagine is the animal's handler jumping up and down behind the camera whilst trying to reassure the director that Rover can indeed portray grief. Essentially animals often hinder films by making the audience feel more conscious of the work that is going into telling the story rather than the story itself, and at this point all illusion is lost. However, In this film the hawks are obviously key to the narrative, but actually do much more than simply allow the plot progress. Every movement of each animal and particularly the hawks feels natural, and this provides an integral link between reality and fantasy.
Paradoxically it's often when the audience is unconscious of the filmmaker's touch that they are doing their best work. What is remarkable about 'Hawk' is the delicate way in special effects and shot choice have been deeply thought about and brilliantly implemented, making the natural landscape infinitely more vivid and full of possibility. Just as with the inclusion of the different animals everything feels cohesive and natural but at the same time wonderfully enchanted.
In regards to the story my overriding sense is that what is being told is simply too grand for the 39 minutes it is allowed. Certain shots feel rushed which makes it seem as though the plot progression is too quick to properly do the story justice. It battles with other elements of the film that are particularly strong and simply cannot compete. However this is all that is lost in a film that is visually stunning as well as engaging.