2006 NEWFEST-Conrad Boys, The

          Justin Lo makes a strong feature film debut as writer, director and
  star of THE CONRAD BOYS, a movie which he has described as being
  about firsts, most notably first love.

          Lo portrays Charlie Conrad, the eldest of two sons of an absent
  Jewish father and a Chinese mother. When mom dies unexpectedly,
  Charlie takes on the responsibilities of raising his younger brother
  Ben (the appealing Boo Boo Stewart), abandoning his dreams
  to attend Columbia University.

          Charlie's life is changed one day when the impossibly handsome
  drifter Jordan (Nick Bartzen) comes into his life by chance. They embark
  on a tentative romance. Complicating matters is the arrival of Doug
  (Barry Shay), their long-lost father who now wants to establish a
  relationship with Ben. Further trouble ensues when someone from
  Jordan's shady past realizes he has returned to town.

          For a first feature, THE CONRAD BOYS is well-made and
  engrossing. It does take a little while for the story to kick in but
  once it does, the audience comes to care about what happens
  to Charlie and his various relationships. He's torn between his
  feelings for Jordan, his duty to take care of Ben and his ambivalence
  towards his father. He and Stewart are believable as brothers and
  he and Bartzen share a nice chemistry as well.

           THE CONRAD BOYS proved to be a pleasant surprise and
  marks Lo as one to watch.


                                           Rating:        B +

The Conrad Boys