255. THE TRAVEL COMPANION (2026) dir. Alex Mallis & Travis Wood

In THE TRAVEL COMPANION, a struggling documentarian named Simon (Tristan Turner) has one professional (and personal) thing going for him: the friendship with roommate Bruce (Anthony Oderbeck). Bruce works for an airline and has Simon signed up as his travel companion, allowing Simon to nab free flights to anywhere on standby seating. For a documentary filmmaker, the ability to nab desired locations for free is crucial, allowing Simon to get rare footage on the cheap.Does he know what the movie's gonna be about? Not yet, but that's something he's marinating on.While Simon stresses over his movie, Bruce starts a relationship with Beatrice (Naomi Asa), a fellow talented director capable of handling budgets and sets Simon couldn't even dream of. And now, the airline perks are being placed into question, so Simon tries his damndest to keep his friendship alive whiel assuring those tickets stay in his grasp.The movie is less ha-ha funny and more relatably funny, laugh-not-to-cry funny to a guy whose own creative project often feels like it consumes him at the expense of time and memories spent with his loved ones.It's gorgeously photographed (New York is a fuckin' cheat. code.) and the jazz score is lush and frenetic. The movie doesn't necessarily tie everything together in a bow, but I'll choose to see that as an experiential stopping point. Wood and Mallis based the movie in part upon personal experiences so I imagine the lessons learned only extend as far as their own conclusions. Maybe we'll check back in in 2036's THE TRAVEL COMPANIONS (There's definitely gonna be a baby involved.) ---THE TRAVEL COMPANION is making its way around the country in select theaters - Find showtimes here.Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!⁠