Let me pose a question: if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound? Of course it does. Now consider this: during a secluded holiday in the wilderness, two best friends uncover their spouses’ infidelity. Do they confront them directly or stay silent, hoping guilt will force a confession? This moral dilemma lies at the core of A Tree Fell in the Woods, the compelling directorial debut from Noro Kirkpatrick.
We follow childhood best friends Mitch (Josh Gad) and Debs (Alexandra Daddario) who decide to spend the holidays together with their respective spouses, Melanie (Ashley Park) and Josh (Daveed Diggs), in a cozy cabin in the secluded winter wilderness. It’s awkward between the couples, but everyone is on their best behavior. So when Mitch and Debs come home early after a walk to find Malanie and Josh “getting it on”, the pair are thrown into a difficult decision. Do they confront their cheating spouses, or do they keep it to themselves in fear of losing everything that their life is built on?
There are two reasons why A Tree Fell in the Woods mostly works. The first is the setting. If you want to crank up tension in a natural way, just trap your characters in a confined space. This film takes what should be a cozy, peaceful cabin and turns it into something suffocatingly claustrophobic, thanks to a relentless winter storm that forces everyone inside. Cabin fever sets in fast, and soon each of the four characters becomes a pressure cooker, ready to explode with secrets, suspicions, and long-overdue confessions.
The second reason is the performances from this small ensemble cast. Each actor strikes a delicate balance between the simmering anger just beneath the surface and the quiet, broken sadness behind their eyes, as their characters navigate strained relationships and the choices that led them into this mess of infidelity. Josh Gad leans into his role with a mix of hammy drunken rage and pathetic fury, Alexandra Daddario’s eyes practically sharpen into daggers, and Ashley Park delivers some truly unhinged crying fits. This cast is gold, well, except for Daveed Diggs, who feels oddly underutilized. Still, you can tell they all had a blast making this movie.
What doesn’t quite land in this film is its thematic exploration. I get what Kirkpatrick was aiming for in her directorial debut. The idea that simmering, unspoken resentment between spouses can snowball into infidelity, and that a lack of honest communication can quietly wreck everything. It’s a strong premise. But the final act gets messy, veering into full-on camp, and the ending ties things up with a bow that feels a little too neat. A Tree Fell in the Woods is a fun ride and a solid debut, but it’s clear that Kirkpatrick still has some growing to do behind the camera.
My Rating: B-
Leave a Reply