The Travel Companion (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

A filmmaker, Simon (Tristan Turner), relies on his friend's airline benefits in order to develop his films. When losing those benefits becomes a legitimate threat, the relationship that was once the cornerstone of his existence may cease to exist. The Travel Companion is a dramatic and subtly comedic look at dependency. 

What begins as a quirky dramedy, slowly and effectively transitions into something much darker and emotionally draining. The Travel Companion begins by developing the relationship between Simon and Bruce (Anthony Oberdeck), and that relationship, while developed and meaningful, also possesses a level of juvenility that allows it to present as both quirky and quietly funny. This is charming and incredibly welcoming—the perfect way to introduce viewers to these characters. This works so well because it introduces viewers to the personalities of each of the characters as they actually are. They aren’t meant to be hyperbolic, but rather an honest representation of each. 

The red flags present in each of the characters’ personalities are understood, but they aren’t aggressively thrown in your face. As the flaws in each character slowly become more prominent the comedy fades and drama takes its place. The Travel Companion no longer attempts to be subtle in its delivery, but rather tell viewers exactly what they need to know. As the intensity ramps up, all of the expositional subtext reminds us of what once was, and how drastic of a change this is for both Simon and Bruce. The Travel Companion is a tale of two halves that both compete against one another and help to create a complete, cohesive story. 

While much of the premise of The Travel Companion revolves around the idea of traveling around the world, the majority of the film is confined to the streets of New York City—allowing those bustling city streets to become a living, breathing entity within the film. The city landscape is vast, seemingly without end—and, yet, these characters can’t seem to avoid one another. Simon and Bruce’s relationship is claustrophobic and overbearing—and New York is used as a vehicle to express this sentiment to viewers throughout the course of the film. At nearly every turn conflict rears its ugly head and presents these characters with a new set of uncomfortable circumstances. Writer-Directors Alex Mallis and Travis Wood do a wonderful job of dropping viewers onto the set and using the city to move them through the film with ease. 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t revisit the heaviness that consumes The Travel Companion in the latter-half of the script. The film doesn’t end on a happy note; it doesn’t promise redemption for these characters. By the end of the film viewers are provided little more than hopelessness. That’s what’s so intriguing about The Travel Companion: its ability to remain honest—refusing to lean into the absurd or the unlikely. That makes the film all the more accessible, understandable, and effective. 

The Travel Companion initially appeared to be a semi-quirky buddy comedy that followed two friends as they attempted to navigate the globe and their own relationship. What Wood, Mallis, and Co-Writer Weston Auburn develop is something far more honest and meaningful. 

Directed by Alex Mallis & Travis Wood. 

Written by Weston Auburn, Alex Mallis, & Travis Wood. 

Starring Tristan Turner, Anthony Oberdeck, Naomi Asa, etc. 

8.5/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING