It’s easy to feel creatively inferior as a New York City artist. But what if that feeling isn’t stirred by errant imposter syndrome, but rather an honest recognition of mediocrity? This is the existential conundrum that Simon (Tristan Turner), a documentarian working on a film he hopes to “find in the edit,” must grapple with in The Travel Companion (2026), the feature debut from co-directors Travis Wood and Alex Mallis. Co-written by Wood, Mallis and Weston Auburn, this lo-fi cringe comedy is loosely inspired by Wood’s own experience losing his coveted “travel companion” status, which grants a single friend or family member of an airline employee select stand-by flights at no cost. In this case, Simon’s best friend Bruce (Anthony Oberbeck), who works an admin job out of JFK, provides access to this benefit, which Simon claims is the only way he’s able to swing film festival attendance, location scouts, and interviews with potential sources.
But as his non-fiction project languishes in the form of a neglected Adobe Premiere rough-cut, Simon’s sentiment curdles into something born of narcissistic entitlement as opposed to artistic scrappiness. As a result, Bruce wonders if his new girlfriend Beatrice (Naomi Asa) might be a more fitting recipient of the privilege, particularly as a romantic getaway looms on the horizon. Adding insult to injury, at least in Simon’s mind, is the fact that Beatrice is a reasonably accomplished filmmaker, competently directing shoots and never in short supply of prospective gigs. Simply put, she doesn’t need the free flights—she’d just enjoy them. This resonates as a grave injustice to Simon, who attempts to badger Bruce back into his corner with his persistently whiny pleas to preserve his titular perk.
Though often necessary, travel can just as easily be a frivolous distraction that begets burnout, financial strain, and, above all, time spent away from a project. Even less creatively valuable is obsessive comparison to others, festering resentment over loved ones’ perceived lack of interest, and prioritizing everything else except actually sitting down and getting the damn thing done. Simon, as we all are, is aware of this on some subconscious level—but isn’t seeing oneself as a victim of a hostile climate for creatives so much easier than tirelessly working to succeed in spite of that? In any case, a pity party will receive far less RSVPs than a film premiere, no matter the perceived quality of the final cut.
The Travel Companion runs April 10-16 at BAM. Directors Travis Wood and Alex Mallis will be in attendance for a series of Q&As on April 10 and 11.
