The Travel Companion
Cast: Tristan Turner, Anthony Oberbeck, Naomi Asa
Writers: Alex Mallis, Travis Wood, Weston Auburn
Directors: Alex Mallis & Travis Wood
*** and 1/2 *'s out of Five
I can imagaine it's got to be difficult to make any type of movie no matter the genre. Simon(Tristan Turner) is a strugling young filmmaker who is currently working on a new prjoject that is part travel log and part what looks like a relflection on human connection. His roommate Bruce(Anthony Oberbeck) works for an airline company which allows his to pick one person to be his travel companion and Simon gets to have that luxery of traveling for free to most places.
Now it's not always an easy thing to get and sometimes seats are not availible but for the most part this is a pretty nifty perk that Simon gets and through a lot of this movie. You get the feeling that Simon is taking advantage of Bruce's work benefits. While at a film festival screening they both meet another filmmaker named Beatrice(Naomi Asa) and Bruce and her begin dating. I almost thought that there would be some sort of love triangle element between our three lead characters and as much as that cliche has been done to death before. I sort of wish it went that way because what I was left with is a story about a guy who is sort of self centered and egotistical. But the movie wants you to empathyize with him.
Simon has a job and could pay for a lot of his flights himself. Plus if your friend is hooking you up with free air fare. I wouldn't be staying up all night working on editing your current project. When Bruce was single, it wasn't a big issue hooking up a buddy with this perk but now that he is dating Beatrice. It makes more sense that he would want to spend more time with someone that he loves and give her the benefits. If I was Simon I would be looking for extra hours or maybe get a part time job somewhere so he can afford to fly to exotic locations for his documentary.
Despite my disdain for the lead character, all of the lead actors do a great job with their roles. Tristan Turner as Simon is not completely unlikable and you can understand his frustration when changes occur in his life. Anthony Oberbeck as Bruce is a quiet performance but his character does become more confident and stands up more for himself as the story progresses. But for me, the real heart of this movie is the character of Beatrice played by Naomi Asa. While not featured much in the narrative. She is the only one that I saw who really made the most of her time as a director. Instead of just traveling places and scouting locations like Simon. She actually made films and talked to investors. I almost wish the movie focused on her and moved our lead character to a sub plot.
The movie does feature some gorgeous shots of New York City and the vibe does remind me of like early Jim Marmusch mixed with a Woody Allen style dialouge to it's script. Im very curious at what these directors come up with next.
The Travel Companion is currently playing at these places
- MSPIFF: April 14 & 16
- Zeitgeist Zinema 2: April 17-22
- Emagine Rogers: April 16-22
- Woodbury Theatre: April 21
- State Theatre: May 1-7
- Pop’s Art Theater: May 1-7
I'm a proud member of the Minnesota Film Critics Association. Read my bio below.
https://mnfilmcriticsassociation.com/2024/09/25/jasonhemming/
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