User reviews

Don McKellar directed this film, which means a certain degree of quirkiness and unpredictability. The two main actors who get virtually equal lead time are Tanaya Beatty (as Annie) and Brandon Oakes (as Will), though they almost never are on screen together. She leaves her Northern Ontario Cree village to find out what has happened to her missing twin sister Suzanne in Toronto. Her uncle Will stays home and copes with a variety of events including threats from young drug-dealing thugs who think he knows more than he does. In both places there is always an undercurrent of potential violence (as expected, whites against First Peoples) but which only occasionally erupts. Beatty (who's a strikingly beautiful combination of a First Nations mother and Indian father) plays Annie as a down-to-earth, rough-edged young woman who gradually gets drawn deeper into the fashion photography world (with an undercurrent of drugs) that her twin was involved with but has mysteriously disappeared. What happened? The slow-burn nature of the mystery makes it almost irrelevant as to whether it finds any resolution.

On the other side of the line, there's no doubt about how the plotline with Will unfolds and why. His part of the movie lets us see more of the Cree life and quite a mixture of characters, settings, rituals, and experiences that to me might have been the most interesting part of this film. There are other familiar First Nations actors in the cast too, like Graham Greene (who's great in the Toronto sequence as a down-and-out street dweller with a rough sense of humor), Tantoo Cardinal, and Tina Keeper. Nice cast and bound to raise sympathy for the native lived experience.

All this aside, the scene-to-scene flow is kind of uneven, almost choppy in places. I don't know why, because it leaves a somewhat disjointed effect on the whole thing. Nevertheless, the resolution is satisfying (certain characters get what they've earned, either good or bad) and by and large it's quite watchable.

Through Black Spruce is a sinister drama shot in northern Ontario in and around Moosonee and in and around Canada's biggest city Toronto. The movie presents two story lines that are closely connected. After a young Cree model disappeared with her criminal lover in Toronto, gang members who want money from them put pressure on her resilient uncle in remote but beautiful Moosonee as they believe he might know more about their mysterious disappearance. Meanwhile, the model's twin sister travels to Toronto to find out what really happened and soon realizes that the vanished couple had a volatile relationship and got into trouble with criminals.

Based upon an award-winning novel, the most fascinating thing about Through Black Spruce is that the story is particularly realistic and honest. Many First Nations women get involved into drug trafficking and prostitution and end up getting caught in a vicious circle of addiction, isolation and violence. This movie shows one such case and portrays the desperate situation with bleak atmosphere, slow precision and cold realism. The locations meandering between the small town of Moosonee which only connects to the rest of the province via the railway and the gigantic city of Toronto where people with numerous backgrounds meet are facsinating to watch. The acting performances by lead actor Brandon Oakes and lead actress Tanaya Beatty are excellent as they rely more on body language and facial expressions than lengthy dialogues and extravagant clothing or make-up. The award-winning soundtrack underlines the movie's sinister atmosphere perfectly.

The movie might have got several negative reviews because of its slow pace but this approach actually adds to the increasingly frightening atmosphere. Some reviewers criticized the story in general and the film's ending in particular but both focus on realism rather than satisfaction and blend in very well with the rest of the movie. There are some gloomy action scenes here and there to spice things up but they are fittingly integrated. If you are expecting a fast-paced movie with a twisted plot and vivid special effects, then this movie simply isn't for you. The unique style of this crime drama however makes it a memorable experience and should particularly please those interested in First Nations cultures.

Very surprised by the low rating. Cinematography, acting, story are all excellent especially given the indie budget. Very nice build up and story

Tanaya Beatty in the lead role as a Cree Native Indian is very impressive. Though the film, based on a novel, is a thriller, the film is impressive because it empathizes with the Native Indian community and their real life woes. Ms Beatty is an eye candy with a strong voice to boot. Also impressive are Native Indian actors Brandon Oakes and Graham Greene. All in all--an above average film. My first Don McKellar film and I shall look out for his other directed films.

Most film goers could never understand what it would be like to live in a beautiful yet isolated part of the northern Ontario wilderness, and yet we get to appreciate some of the vastness of the countryside through the lives of the Bird family and the native people of the surrounding lands.

The two lead actors Tanaya Beatty (as Annie) and Brandon Oakes (as Will), are rarely seen on the screen together as Annie has chosen to travel to Toronto to see what is happening with her twin sister who has been absent for far longer than ever before. Will on the other hand is dealing with a bunch of drug thugs who want something that the missing twin sister who is supposedly in Toronto working as a fashion model.

Will especially reflects a man comfortable living in the northern Ontario wilderness, and unlike you or I who may take a cab or subway to travel around our neighborhood, Will takes a plane. If we want to just chill, we may order in a pizza and hunker down to watch some TV series, Will on the other hand would prefer to cover his naked body in mud, chant, then swim in the remote waters with the local marine life.

Annie after arriving in Toronto with limited funds begins to learn more about her twin sisters life and existence as a First Nations woman living in a big city like Toronto.

It's an interesting movie with a film style all its own. (Probably because their funds available do not provide the same standard as lets say a Warner Brothers release would have at their disposal).

I give the film a respectable and appreciative 7 out of 10 IMDb rating.

I thought this movie was very good. The way they ran two stories at once was interesting. As much as I love Tanaya Beaty, the part with her uncle Will dealing with a bunch of thugs for something he didn't do was done well. I wish Annie's journey had a better outcome, but the ending was satisfying never the less. Regardless how you feel about the story line, the acting is superb.

There are a lot of things about this movie that I thought were good, but overall the movie just plodded along. It was like the story was happening to the characters rather than the characters making the story. In particular Annie just kind of stumbles through the movie, making all sorts of out-of-character decisions, then reverting back to her stoic self a few minutes later, as if the actions never happened. In some cases, she does something and then almost instantly is a different person, with no segue between. Part of that problem is that there is no sense of how long there was between scenes. Did this happen over days, or weeks or even months. No idea.

I did like the "First People" aspect, which provided the background for the story. The cadence of the speech and mannerisms seemed very authentic. It was also great showing how the non-First people characters interacted with them. But telling the "first people" story, over-whelmed the actual plot, making a sub-par movie overall.

While the story has been cut down to the bare bones, it's still watchable if you haven't read the novel. What's missing in the reduced cast of characters is a spot for Zahn Mclarnon as Annie Bird's protector, Gordon. Graham Greene's role is also cut down to the point that the character isn't recognizable from the one in the book.

This is a big, sprawling story with a large cast of characters whittled down below the bare basic story that's still waiting to be told on film. The script was sidetracked into a socially relevant myopia that zooms in on the detail of native women being disappeared. While that is relevant, it isn't the whole picture.

To avoid dismissing a good film because it isn't the whole story, let's just agree that more could have been done with the fine novel, "Through Black Spruce".

Not much more left to say that what I titled it as. Overall the acting is good as is the scenery, the story line however, is lacking to say the least, it drags out and extremely boring - thanks goodness for fast forward.

I found this movie first rate. It 's a suspenseful drama which I found (contrary to a previous reviewer) flowed well and delivered a very strong, thought provoking story. The acting was flawless and a credit to all involved and its nearly two hour duration seemed to disappear too fast. I thoroughly enjoyed it

Annie Bird is a Cree from Moosonee, northern Ontario. She heads off to Toronto to find her missing twin sister Suzanne who was working as a model in the city. Meanwhile, her uncle Will is being harassed by local thug Marius.

The movie is basically split into two seemingly unconnected stories. I like Will's half of the movie. It could have been an interesting indie by itself. Annie's half is a bit of a mixed bag. Its premise promises a mystery thriller into the depths of native presence in the big city. The biggest problem is that one is never sure if Annie is that invested in finding her sister or if she intends on taking her sister's place. This is a murder mystery. The audience shouldn't be more invested in solving the mystery than the character. It holds the movie back until the mystery almost solves itself. In the end, this has enough compelling elements.

This little film had a lot going for it, it had a great tonality to it, the settings were wonderful, with quiet rural Canadian settings. It was a good story and for me it's always refreshing to watch a film with a Native American or Native Canadian theme. The issue I think was that the direction was not as good as it could have been, it wasn't bad, as this director has done a few decent projects before, but I really don't think that he has the talent or experience to make a film like this great. The highlight of the film for me was Tanaya Beatty, who is stunning to look at, and an absolutey wonderful actress with a great deal of presence, and someone who brings a lot of heart and soul to each project. Also Brandon Oates was fantastic, the scenes of him solo were bordering on profound. This was a satisfying movie to watch, but it was a little bit slow, and a bit drawn out. I think the editing was not particularly good, and it was a pale shadow of what it could have been.

Yet, it was quite good, and I would say if you're patient and you like these types of stories the film might be rewarding for you.

Having been raised in Northern Ontario and now living in Toronto I am a tad biased towards this plot, nevertheless felt inclined to review because I was touched by this film and it's success in addressing very delicate issues regarding indigenous peoples (isolation/otherization, culture/tradition preservation, substance abuse, missing/murdered women, etc.). I really appreciated the directing and depiction of northern life. This piece of Canadiana featuring beautiful NWO covered all bases for me; heartfelt missing-sister drama turns thriller with the introduction of the fashion industry's dark side. There are laughs, there is love and moments you'll be holding your breathe. Just wanted to mention Toronto is a very friendly city :) I watched this on an AirCanada flight and there are a few scenes with subtitles.

Thoroughly enjoyed the book and the movie did it justice. Pretty much love anything by Don Mckellar so...

A beautifully shot and well acted and slow paced character study. Watch it in a chilled out mood. I really liked the understated performance of the two lead actors and the soporific tone of the piece.

This movie touches my heart because I going through the same thing but not everything. Last year March 4, 2020. I lost my twin brother to domestic violence. Even to this day I grieve for him everyday, wishing it was me instead. We are going through his murder trial and investigation right now. I want to seek revenge and hurt his girlfriend, just for taking him away from us. He was only 35 and moved outta state to better his life and instead he was murdered 3 weeks later. I don't wish this on anyone, but I hurt for my twin, I cry for him every night, wishing I was there, wishing I was a better twin brother. The pain of reliving the moment I heard the news to the moment I had to tell my family the news to going to his funeral to even smelling the smell on him at the funeral. I have to relice those moments everyday and it's a heavy burden to carry. Thank God they caught her but it doesn't bring my twin brother back....he's gone and all I have are memories and a whole in my heart for he was my Ying and I was his yang, he was kobe I was Shaq, night and day........ppl love your family and ppl domestic violence can happen to anybody not just women and if you're going through domestic situations, please speak out and speak up whether you know it or not there are ppl who care, talk to them, get help, and reach out.

This far exceeded my expectations. There is actually two plots working in tandem. One, the sister of a missing indigenous woman who went to Toronto goes there in search of her, becoming embroiled and co-opted in the art scene, as her identity starts to degrade, just as her sisters seemingly did. The second is that of an older indigenous man who is haunted by his past, and though he's a shadow of his former self, he provides a holistic juxtaposition for what is occurring to the woman in Toronto, losing her way.

The acting is above average, plotting exceptional. Art house meets mystery. Methodical scenes with good production and a great ending. But the cinematography is also above and beyond. This feels like it punches above its weight in every respect. Fantastic stuff.