The Conrad Boys

The difficult bonds of family and the conflicting emotions of first love come together in this independent drama from writer and director Justin Lo. Charlie (Justin Lo) is a 19-year-old college student whose life is turned upside down when his mother dies. With his father absent for many years, Charlie now has to put his academic pursuits on hold while he looks after his nine-year-old brother, Ben (Boo Boo Stewart). While Charlie doesn't shirk his responsibilities, he feels as if he'd been forced to give up his freedom to follow his dreams, and becomes lonely and isolated from the world. This begins to change when Charlie meets Jordan Rivers (Nick Bartzen), a good-looking and like-minded stranger who is passing through town. As Charlie gets to know Jordan better, he finds himself falling in love for the first time, but their budding relationship causes a crisis when Doug (Barry Shay), Charlie and Ben's father, suddenly returns and insists on taking Ben with him. Will Charlie be forced to choose between his need to protect his brother and his love for Jordan? The Conrad Boys received its world premiere at the 2006 Newport Beach Film Festival.