“THE TRAVEL COMPANION” // TRIBECA 2025
BY MATEO MORENO
THE TRAVEL COMPANION is a film that’s not going to be for everyone. And I say that as someone who did like this film. It’s an often-uncomfortable character study that asks the audience to continue to root for someone who’s oblivious to how much he’s using his own friends for his own personal gain. It’s relatable because we have all known someone like this, or possibly even been someone like this. But in those memories, empathy is usually not the first thing that comes to mind. Especially if you are in the arts, you’ve known this person. The filmmaker who calls himself a genius, even if he doesn’t say it out loud but puts off actually making anything because there may not be anything to make. The duo of Travis Wood and Alex Wallis direct and co-write the film (along with Weston Auburn) and with The Travel Companion sets their sites on adult relationships and how sad it is to find yourself growing out of them, possibly before you’re ready.
Tristan Turner is Simon, a filmmaker who will tell anyone who’s willing to listen that he’s made a film that’s made the festival circuit rounds. He’s apparently in the process of making his second film, but every time he speaks about it, it’s incredibly vague and often changes each time he describes it (“Something about… walls” is the best way to describe this non-polished idea). His roommate Bruce (Anthony Oberbeck) is also his best friend and has been for a long time. Bruce works for an airline and lets Simon be his “travel companion” on multiple flights throughout the year. Basically, that means he can wait standby and fly anywhere in the world for free as long as there is an empty seat on the plane. Simon has been taking advantage of this friendship perk for years and thinks that traveling will help him figure out his next film. Or is that simply an excuse to keep putting it off? Things start to get rocky when Bruce starts dating Beatrice (Naomi Asa), an indie filmmaker herself and Bruce wants to give the perk to her, much to Simon’s shock.
The film worked for me on multiple levels. It really showcases how egotistical creative types can be about their own craft; how snobby they can be about survival jobs and how truly annoying the “creative” conversations can be. But while showing how bad they can be, it also shows how funny and joyful that life can be. It also showcases a dying friendship heartbreakingly well, which is why it may not be for everyone, especially when one of those friends is often pretty insufferable. However, the actors Tristan Turner and Anthony Oberbeck have such great chemistry and nail their fractured friendship so well that it’s actually mostly a pleasure watching them shuffle their way through it. Naomi Asa also adds a nice flavor to the proceedings, though her character is less defined. The film struggles, however, with maintaining itself as a true narrative piece. Often it seems like its wandering around its own ideas and meandering through a running time. In the end The Travel Companion may not be as tight as I wish it would have been, and it is often a frustrating watch, but it’s always an interesting one. And that can’t be said for many films that attempt to do what this film succeeds in doing so well.
GRADE: B-
WRITTEN BY Alex Mallis, Travis Wood, Weston Auburn DIRECTED BY Travis Wood, Alex Mallis STARRING Tristan Turner, Anthony Oberbeck, Naomi Asa SELECTED AS PART OF THE 2025 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO: https://tribecafilm.com/films/travel-companion-2025