Through Black Spruce

Annie Bird, Tanaya Beatty, a Cree woman from Moosonee, is the identical twin of Suzanne Bird, a model who had last been seen in Toronto before disappearing with her abusive boyfriend Gus. While living with her mother Lizette, Tina Keeper, Annie remains close to her uncle Will, Brandon Oakes, a hunter and former bush pilot. At the invitation of a friend, Annie travels to Toronto for a vacation, but stays behind to look for her sister. When Annie leaves for their vacation, a local Moosonee drug dealer named Marius, Wesley French, takes this as a signal that one of her family members may need to go into hiding and accuses Will of being a snitch.

In Toronto, Annie contacts Suzanne’s modelling agency and collects the last paycheque that she was owed. The agency refers her to Jesse, Kiowa Gordon, the last photographer to undertake a project with Suzanne. The two meet while Jesse is debuting the resulting photo series at a local gallery. After describing the depression Suzanne was in, Jesse gives Annie the address where she last stayed. There, Annie meets Geeta, Parveen Kaur, who is the other tenant. Geeta welcomes Annie and describes the shock of receiving the missing person’s report for her roommate. Taking her to Suzanne’s former room, Geeta encourages Annie to stay there for as long as necessary.

Meanwhile, Marius escalates his threats against Will’s family and attempts to firebomb his house at night. The police chief dismisses Will’s report due to his alcoholism and inability to provide a license plate number. Taking matters into his own hands, Will later aims a rifle at Marius from afar and fires a bullet into his head. Will escapes by plane to a remote island, and encounters a group of fellow Cree travelers after setting up a campsite. After being convinced that he cannot hide forever, Will returns to Moosonee. His sister Lizette tells him that Marius survived the shot to the head, albeit with brain damage. The police chief comes to speak with Will, and initially announces that the attempted murder is being ruled as a “biker hit”. However, before driving off, he tells Will to have better aim next time.

Meanwhile, in Toronto, Annie begins a relationship with Jesse and offers to take Suzanne’s place in an upcoming photo shoot. At a club that Suzanne used to frequent, Geeta introduces Annie to an acquaintance named Danny, Joey Klein. Jesse warns her that Danny is a drug dealer, but Geeta continues to include him in their circle of friends. Annie looks at some of Suzanne’s production stills and sees that signs of drug use have been photoshopped away. She berates Jesse for his dishonesty and prepares to leave Toronto. While she is telling Geeta, Danny corners the two of them and reveals that he has killed Gus in an effort to reclaim stolen drugs. While choking Annie, he accuses her of conspiring with her sister to keep the stash hidden.

Danny then comes to Moosonee in order to continue searching for Suzanne. He throws boiling water at Lizette and beats Will with a golf club. Before he can deliver the killing blow, Annie arrives with Will’s rifle. She kills Marius and Danny in time to help carry her uncle to the hospital.

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 13:05