THE STORY – Mitch and Debs are childhood friends who go on a New Year’s Eve trip to a cabin in the woods with their respective spouses, but things are clearly not all great for both couples. As the titular tree falls, nearly killing Mitch and Debs, things are seen that were not meant to be seen and truth-telling enters the picture when an unidentifiable and slightly psychedelic drink is drunk in this entertaining dramedy about the lies we tell ourselves about ourselves and how to untangle them all.
THE CAST – Alexandra Daddario, Daveed Diggs, Josh Gad & Ashley Park
THE TEAM – Nora Kirkpatrick (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 96 Minutes
If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Of course, it does; what a silly question. How about this one: If two people accidentally see their respective spouses having an affair, do they confront them about it? That one’s a little dicier to answer and comes with some hard truths, as seen in Nora Kirkpatrick’s couples getaway gone bad dramedy “A Tree Fell in the Woods.” Kirkpatrick’s sharp script dives deep into the complexities of infidelity and relationships, making this awkward situation feel all too real. Even as the film steers into overly silly territory, it has four strong performances to keep it afloat.
Childhood friends Mitch (Josh Gad) and Debs (Alexandra Daddario) decide to spend the holidays together with their respective spouses, Melanie (Ashley Park) and Josh (Daveed Diggs), in a cozy, snowy winter wonderland. Things seem a little awkward between everyone as they all try to stay on their best behavior. Still, they’re about to get even worse when Mitch and Debs return early from a morning hike (during which the titular tree almost crushes them) and see Melanie and Josh mid-coitus through a window. Debs is ready to barge in there and give them a piece of her mind, while Mitch can already see his world crumbling if he loses his wife. So they decide to keep this damning little secret to themselves.
There’s nothing better than characters trying to keep information from others, and it’s a treat to see the different approaches Mitch and Debs take. As Debs and Melanie pick up groceries, Daddario’s piercing blue eyes are the definition of “if looks could kill.” It makes Melanie squirm and tip-toe around her, and Park’s on-point physical comedy skills – avoiding Debs’ gaze and laughing nervously – only make it even better. The men, of course, spend their time chopping wood, and Mitch can barely hide the rage bubbling inside him, to the point that he takes a pretty vicious swing from Josh. While Gad can easily bring laughs to his character, he also can balance the fear and panic that sets in with Mitch. As he repeatedly says, he won the lotto when he married Melanie, and his life would fall apart without her. He’s so desperate for Debs to keep the secret between them that he would rather live knowing his wife cheated on him than stand up for himself and demand better. You can’t help but really feel for the guy and want to give him a hug.
But a secret such as this can’t stay hidden for too long, and once the cat’s out of the bag, the vibes are at an all-time low at this hangout. After the couples are forced to talk to one another once they’re snowed in, Kirkpatrick’s mature script has its moment to shine. The reasons why people cheat on their significant others are often complicated and never easy to hear, and Kirkpatrick infuses that into her dialogue. Melanie is forced to face very difficult truths about her marriage, such as calling herself a “burden” and “dumb,” while Mitch is afraid to fully express himself because he’s always been an overly friendly man who goes with the flow. Meanwhile, Debs and Josh go at it in more hurtful ways, which include pointing fingers at each other for their lack of confidence and feeling stuck in their life and work – very reminiscent of the fight scene in “Anatomy of a Fall.” The way Diggs communicates with just his eyes is so impressive here, showing how much he messed up not only in this one instant but at various points in their relationship.
As the film moves into some overly silly territory in the third act, thanks to the crew getting their hands on a psychedelic drink, it loses its steam and gets repetitive, as if Kirkpatrick wasn’t sure how to exactly land the story. However, at 96 minutes, “A Tree Fell in the Woods” is a breeze to get through, even as it explores difficult and uncomfortable truths that couples hide from each other. With a sharp, poignant script from Kirkpatrick and strong performances from its quartet cast, this is one film that might inspire partners to have deeper conversations with each other, as long as no trees or people are harmed in the process.
