AllMovie

In this independent coming-of-age story, Nathan (Stephan Bender) is a shy and awkward teenager who has moved to a small town in Louisiana with his father, Harland (Thomas Jay Ryan), and mother, Vivian (Diana Scarwid). Nathan is attracted to other boys, but he's had a hard time coming to terms with his sexuality after years of being sexually abused by his father. Living next door to Nathan is Roy (Max Roeg), who attends the same high school and makes pocket money driving the school bus. Nathan is infatuated with Roy, and one day while they're doing homework together he discovers Roy is also interested in him. Nathan and Roy become lovers, though Roy notices that Nathan seems more familiar with gay sex than his experience would lead him to expect. Roy and two friends from school go camping one weekend, and he invites Nathan to join them; Roy's friends don't know he's gay and aren't especially open-minded, and after spending several hours swapping stories of ghosts and grisly folk tales, they begin to wonder why Roy and Nathan insist on sharing a tent. However, everyone is in for a surprise when the furtive lovers are confronted. Featuring musician Rickie Lee Jones in a supporting role, Dream Boy features an original score from acclaimed singer-songwriter Richard Buckner.