A Tree Fell in the Woods (2025)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08 · Missing measurements appear as gaps.
Two married couples find their holiday getaway complicated by a shocking discovery and a trapped snowstorm.
The story
Two married couples, Debs and Josh, and Mitch and Melanie, spend New Year's together in a snow cabin on a mountain. Debs is an author and Josh is a nature photographer, while Mitch is a financial manager and Melanie is currently unemployed. On New Year's Eve, Debs and Mitch go for a hike but are forced to return early after a tree nearly falls on them. Upon returning to the cabin, they are traumatized to witness Josh and Melanie having sex. As the group tries to maintain composure, personal issues regarding careers, honesty, and marital dissatisfaction begin to surface while they remain trapped by a snowstorm.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Two married couples, Debs/Josh and Mitch/Melanie, spend New Year's together in a snow cabin on a mountain. Debs is an author and Josh is a nature photographer; Mitch is a financial manager and Melanie is unemployed. During a hike, Debs and Mitch witness Josh and Melanie having sex, causing a rift. As they remain trapped by a snowstorm, personal tensions erupt: Debs struggles with writer's block, Mitch is unhappy with his job, and Josh's honesty is questioned. After a kitchen argument breaks all the alcohol bottles, the group retreats to separate rooms. Josh and Melanie admit to a 'spur of the moment' fling, while Debs confesses to almost cheating. Mitch later finds a bottle of 'unusual liquor' from previous bootleggers. After drinking, the group enters a lucid state where they confront their issues: Josh admits he doesn't like himself, Melanie confesses she didn't write her second cookbook, and Debs admits she is scared to show her new manuscript. They eventually find the fallen tree together and watch the sunrise. In the aftermath, Debs and Josh decide to work on their marriage, while Mitch and Melanie decide to separate.
- First release year
- 2025
- Runtime (minutes)
- 94
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Nora Kirkpatrick
- Writers
- Nora Kirkpatrick · writer
- Cast and characters
- Alexandra Daddario · Debs; Daveed Diggs · Josh; Josh Gad · Mitch; Ashley Park · Melanie; Kevin Pollak · Gary
- Genres
- comedy; drama
- Themes
- Marital strain; Friendship; Honesty; Career struggles
- Tone and mood
- Dramatic; Comedic
- Setting
- A snow cabin on a mountain during New Year's
- Premise and plot tags
- Trapped; Relationship Drama; Comedy
- Reception
- The film received a 55% positive rating from 22 critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 6.0/10.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 6.0/10 · scale: 10 · review count: 22; Rotten Tomatoes · score: 55% · review count: 22
- Production trivia
- The film was released in the United States on May 8, 2026.; It had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival.; The film features a plot point involving a bottle of liquor belonging to previous owners who were bootleggers.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…