The transition from childhood/student life to adulthood is rife with change. Finding out who you are, what you want to do, how to make a living, who you will partner with, and how friendships change. The Travel Companion explores some of these while also offering insight into independent filmmaking and traveling on a buddy pass.
This is the first feature film for co-directors Alex Mallis and Travis Wood. Along with producer Weston Auburn, the three wrote this film’s script about male friendship as it transitions when things are not equal, and one enters a romantic relationship.
Simon (Tristan Turner) is still using his graduate film project as an entry into film festivals. His best friend, since third grade, Bruce (Anthony Overbeck), supports him by attending screenings and sharing one of the perks of his job with an airline. Every year, Bruce is allowed to select one person as his travel companion, who can book free standby flights. This allows Simon the opportunity to film all over and collect footage for his current, as-yet-undefined project. After a film festival screening, Simon invites Beatrice (Naomi Asa) to join Bruce and him for a drink. Bruce and Beatrice click and start to see each other. A shift in their friendship begins to show: Bruce starts to see that the natural give-and-take between them isn’t as balanced as it once was, and Simon sees his free travel being taken away.
Film festivals can be their own world. Giving some insight into independent filmmaking and festivals can hopefully create interest in experiencing these events. This was also a good choice to provide additional character building for Simon. His passion is filmmaking; he doesn’t want to be tied down to a job that doesn’t allow him time to work on his current project. He also needs to make enough to live, and those two things don’t typically allow for the opportunity or funds to travel all over the world. He also struggles to focus on his current project with the very real fear of failure weighing him down.
This film, like many indie films, did not have a large budget, and one of the choices made to work within those limitations was to cast relatively unknown actors. The casting choices worked well. Turner gave us a believable young man; at times, his thoughts and actions made sense, and at others, you wanted to smack him upside the head to knock some sense into him. Overbeck provided someone with similar life experiences further along the path to their future. He didn’t fade away in his scenes, nor did he take them over; it was the right balance for the character and the story.
The choice to use fullscreen helped create an intimate feeling of being part of the story itself, not just watching as it happens. The audience is drawn in and can focus on the main characters. The filming choices also help to build out the script-driven characters.
This is an enjoyable and relatable film; I am glad to see it has been released for a wider audience to experience it. Hopefully, after watching, you will want to get back into attending film festivals or experience them for the first time. They happen all over, all year. . .Treat yourself to the experience.
Directors: Alex Mallis, Travis Wood
Cast: Tristan Turner, Anthony Overbeck, Naomi Asa
Selig Rating: 4 stars
Runtime: 1h 31m
Release Date: April 10, 2026
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama
Trailer: The Travel Companion trailer
Movie Site: The Travel Companion website
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.
4 Stars – Good movie/show
3 Stars – OK movie/show
2 Stars – Well, there was nothing else…
1 Star – Total waste of time.