(Written by Allison Brown)
A Tree Fell in the Woods effectively challenges its characters and audience to evaluate what exactly constitutes a loving relationship and to decide what missteps are forgivable. Two couples, Mitch & Melanie and Josh & Debs, rent a quaint house in a snow-tinged canyon in an effort to turn off the stressful chaos of the world for New Year’s Eve weekend. Mitch (Josh Gad) and Debs (Alexandra Daddario) go way back, close friends who know everything about one another despite never connecting romantically. Upon returning from a dangerous hike where the two are nearly crushed by a falling tree, Mitch and Debs witness their partners fornicating through the window. To preserve their lives, they vow to hide their awareness, choosing to move forward and try to get past any simmering anger. As expected, their plan is futile; Melanie (Ashley Park) impulsively blurts out the truth, blowing up the trip. Even worse, the group are snowed in and unable to leave the extremely close quarters of the cabin. Chaos ensues, where both pairings must decide their futures and whether they will remain together. Their decisions, propelled by an unearthed bottle of old prohibition liquor acting as truth serum, may be a surprise.
Despite the serious nature of the infidelity subject matter, laughs are the prime focus here, reigning in the cast’s impressive, comedic prowess. To no surprise, Josh Gad steals the show. His turn as Mitch is endearing and lovable, much like most characters he plays. The only way a film consisting primarily of dialogue, such as this, can be successful is when the chemistry of the talent included excels, and thankfully these four play off one another well. Ironically, three of the four lead actors got their start on Broadway. When we asked writer/director Nora Kirkpatrick about this coincidence, she pointed out that it is likely a result of the script’s play-like nature and surprisingly, was not at all intentional. The choice to name Daveed Diggs’ character Josh might be my only gripe with character decisions. This becomes somewhat confusing to follow given the familiarity with Josh Gad as the other male lead.
Metaphors are aplenty here. Scenes in cars are frequent, symbolizing the nature of moving forward. Each character has an interaction with the same deer, reminding all of the path not taken, as implied by Kirkpatrick during the Q&A. Finally, the tree crashing down acts as a near death experience to shock Mitch and Debs into life reevaluation. A dead squirrel blocking the heat from functioning could represent their potentially dead relationships preventing a true experience of real love. The presence of such elements adds a singular layer to an otherwise commonplace relationship plot.
While A Tree Fell in the Woods struggles a bit with repetition and telling, as opposed to showing, a recommendation is still warranted. Alexandra, Josh, Daveed, and Ashley are all genuinely funny in their own regard, and one-liners keep the story moving. The dialogue’s timely wit easily maintains viewer engagement. While it may not be the best Tribeca has to offer this year, much fun will still be had with this selection.
A Tree Fell in the Woods screened at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival.
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