If a Tree Falls in the Forest (Si un árbol cae en el bosque)

In an isolated village in the Madrid mountains in 1989, a lonely young butcher becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a former friend. Hidden secrets among youth, an unsolved crime, and a single suspect willing to do anything to prove her innocence. A rural thriller full of dramatic twists and dark secrets.

Camino is a 22-year-old young woman living in Zarzaleda, a small village in the Madrid mountains. Solitary, reserved, and with a strong connection to the surrounding forest, she works as a butcher and has a tense relationship with her mother, who abandoned her as a child and only returned after her grandfather’s death. Her only true emotional bond is with her best friend, Isabel, a sweet and responsible young woman who takes care of her little sister, Inés, after the death of their mother.

Everything changes when Manuel Villaseñor, the brightest of Camino’s group of friends, is found dead. The night before, Camino had argued with and threatened Manuel, and with no alibi, she quickly becomes the main suspect. The situation grows even more complicated when Eduardo, Manuel’s younger brother, appears, claiming to believe in her innocence and offering to help her uncover the real culprit—also motivated by the fear that suspicion could fall on him.

During the investigation, Camino discovers that Manuel was secretly involved with Verónica, the girlfriend of one of his friends. Verónica confesses that she still loved him and would have left her partner if Manuel had reciprocated. Though she denies harming Manuel, Camino suspects both her and her boyfriend. Soon, however, new clues begin to shift suspicion toward Isabel. Despite this, Camino fully trusts her friend and is convinced she could never kill anyone.

Suspicions intensify when a note signed with an “I” appears, and Camino begins to doubt. She also notices bruises on Eduardo’s arms, sustained on the night of Manuel’s death. Just as the evidence seems to point to Eduardo, Isabel steps forward and confesses to the crime.

But Camino, who knows her friend well, realizes Isabel is lying to protect her younger sister, Inés, who was also secretly involved with Manuel. Although she knows revealing the truth will shatter her bond with Isabel, Camino makes the difficult choice to confront her and gets Inés to confess. The young girl is convicted of the murder, while Camino accepts the emotional cost of choosing justice over loyalty.

RELEVANT INFORMATION: Marina Tena Tena is a Spanish teacher and writer of children’s literature, horror, and fantasy. Throughout her career she has been awarded the Ripley Prize from Triskel, the Ignotus Prize, the II Terroríficas Prize, and the I Lestat de Lioncourt Prize.

If a Tree Falls in the Forest combines the rural thriller of a gripping investigation, set in the heart of a small mountain village, with powerful reflections on relationships. Featuring a strong and atypical female protagonist, the story offers a raw and moving look at love, guilt, and the need for justice, all wrapped in a tense and deeply human atmosphere.

The novel has great audiovisual potential as a rural thriller set in an intimate and dark atmosphere. The triangle of suspicion, secrets, and broken loyalties among the young protagonists offers a plot charged with emotional tension and dramatic twists.

AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Miniseries, Feature Film, TV Film.

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish