When writing a comedy about couples where everything and anything can go wrong, there is a lot of territory that has already been covered. Entries into the genre consistently feel like they’re beating a dead horse. Trying to find something new and doing something fresh seems to be a challenge and thankfully Nora Kirkpatrick’s feature debut, A Tree Fell in the Woods, is a breath of fresh air, combining comedy, cringe, and relationship chaos in a tightly packed 96 minutes along with some terrific performances by some Broadway alumni. A Tree Fell in the Woods kicks off its chaotic adventure between four friends by asking “if a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it — does that mean its safe to proceed when you think no one’s around?”.
The movie focuses on couples Debs and Josh (Alexandra Daddario and Daveed Diggs, respectively) and Mitch and Melanie (Josh Gad and Ashley Park, respectively) as they rent out a remote cabin over New Year’s to get out of the city, kick back, relax, and do whatever they want. One day on the trip, Mitch and Debs decide to go on a hike through the mountains as Josh and Melanie decide to kick back and relax instead. Starting the hike, a tree falls in the woods and they narrowly avoid disaster. Debs and Josh look back at the house to see Josh in his room in the nude and yell at him to get under the covers because no one *needs* to see that. And then the horror unveils itself — Melanie is with him. While Debs and Mitch must now navigate what to do as Mitch doesn’t want to tell them they know, and Debs begrudgingly agrees. Tensions begin to rise and it all boils over, spilling out entirely, making for a tense and, at moments hilarious feature. It is all carefully balanced with whimsical elements which can only be achieved with a touch of surrealism that blends reality and mystical elements effortlessly.
L-R: Daveed Diggs as Josh, Alexandra Daddario as Debs, Josh Gad as Mitch, and Ashley Park as Melanie in A TREE FELL IN THE WOODS. Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival 2025.
When a movie focuses on close quarters and a tight-knit cast, it is incredibly important that everyone meshes and has chemistry with one another, otherwise, the entire movie falls apart and is a mess. Thankfully, though, the three Broadway alumni (Diggs (Hamilton), Gad (The Book of Mormon), and Park (Mean Girls)) are all remarkable, have chemistry with each other, and play off each other incredibly well. The only issue is that while having chemistry with everyone, Daddario’s strongest chemistry is with Gad, who is not playing her partner in the film. It is a nitpick but it is weird that her romantic interest is not the one who exhumes the most chemistry with her. Overall, Gad, Diggs, Park, and Daddario all blend together well and help bring A Tree Fell in the Woods to explosive heights, capturing the chaos of finding out the unthinkable and being stuck surrounded by people you don’t want to be around.
Nora Kirkpatrick is no stranger to episodic tv and shorts, so it’s not a surprise that her feature debut is bona fide hit that is sure to delight and surprise audiences. Blending realism with surrealism leaves audiences questioning what they perceived, posing the real question of “if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, did it make a sound?”.
Screening during Tribeca Film Festival 2025.
For more information, head to the official Tribeca Film Festival A Tree Fell in the Woods webpage.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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