Little Woods 2019

Ollie Hale finds herself on probation after being caught illegally crossing the border from North Dakota to Canada. With a strong resolve to rebuild her life, she sets her sights on securing employment in Spokane, especially with only eight days left to complete her probation. However, temptations to return to her old life keep arising, including the lure of illegally selling prescription drugs. To make ends meet, Ollie takes on odd jobs, helping local construction workers while navigating the challenges that come her way.

Complicating matters, Ollie’s sister, Deb, faces her own hardships after discovering her unexpected pregnancy. The two sisters, having grown somewhat distant following their mother’s illness and subsequent passing, have a strained relationship. Deb, a single mother already struggling to raise her son Johnny in an illegally parked trailer, turns to Ollie for support. Despite Ollie’s effort to help, offering to transfer the title of their deceased mother’s house to Deb, the foreboding shadow of foreclosure looms over them. Ollie successfully negotiates a lower down payment but finds the total amount still overwhelming.

Determined to help her sister, Ollie knows she must make difficult decisions. She reluctantly heads back into the woods to recover a stash of 500 pills she had hidden previously, intent on selling them in order to raise the necessary funds. During her job interview in Spokane, Ollie’s world is disrupted when she is confronted by Bill, a local drug dealer who threatens her over territory disputes. Caught between the pressure of survival and legality, Ollie opts to partner with Bill instead of risking the dangerous smuggling of drugs across the border.

Meanwhile, after realizing the steep costs associated with childbirth, Deb decides to terminate her pregnancy but struggles to find access to safe medical care. As the night of her abortion approaches, Deb’s trailer is towed away, taking with it Ollie’s money for the foreclosure as well as the hidden pills. In a desperate turn of events, Ollie breaks into the pound only to discover that her possessions have been ravaged.

Faced with a growing sense of urgency, Ollie makes the decision to cooperate with Bill’s illegal drug run into Canada, hoping to secure enough money not only for the house but also to ensure Deb has a safe abortion. Although obtaining a fake Manitoba ID proves difficult, Deb resorts to theft in order to acquire one, and they successfully cross the border where Deb can receive the medical attention she needs.

As Ollie waits for Deb to complete her procedure, she receives the update that she has successfully landed the Spokane job. The sisters spend one last night together in Canada, during which Ollie assures Deb of her resilience and independence. The following morning, they make their way back into the United States, leaving behind a chapter of turmoil yet holding onto a glimmer of hope for the future.