Queerly Ever After #44: PRIVATE ROMEO (2011)

Queerly Ever After is a bi-monthly column where I take a look at LGBT+ films that gave their characters a romantic happily-ever-after. There will be spoilers. Also, don’t forget to buy your Queerly Ever After merch right here.

Private Romeo is an adaptation of Shakespeare‘s Romeo and Juliet that transposes the action from the streets of Verona, Italy to the fictional McKinley Military Academy, and yes, it has a twist happy ending. When eight cadets are left alone on campus for four days, the events of the play start to unfold around them as two of the cadets fall in love. The movie, while set in the present day and featuring an all-male cast, uses the dialogue from Shakespeare’s play to explore the romance between cadets Sam Singleton/Romeo (Seth Numrich) and Glenn Mangan/Juliet (Matt Doyle). While the two young men fall for each other, the six other cadets, who play a host of different characters from the play, threaten to destroy everything.

This movie, written and directed by Alan Brown, takes a lot of risks. Very often those risks pay off, but sometimes they don’t. For example, the gendered dialogue from Shakespeare‘s play is not changed, so Glenn/Juliet and Omar Madsen/Nurse (Chris Bresky) are referred to with female pronouns when reciting the lines from the play, although they are not playing women. Additionally, certain events in the play seem slightly odd in context here if you’re not willing to look beyond surface-level. These cadets all know each other from the moment the movie opens, so you might be wondering why, when most of them have snuck out one night to play poker and drink beer, does Sam/Romeo take Gus Sanchez/Benvolio (Sean Hudock) aside to inquire who Glenn/Juliet is. Yes, they are classmates and are already acquainted, so if you don’t read between the lines here you might be at a loss. After all, weren’t we all taught to read between the lines when we studied Shakespeare in school? There are lots of double meanings you may miss otherwise.

That being said, ask yourself, is Sam/Romeo actually asking Gus/Benvolio to find out who Glenn/Juliet is, or is he pulling aside his closest friend, his one confidante, and admitting to him that he is developing feelings for another guy? As Sam/Romeo and Glenn/Juliet flirt openly in view of the other cadets, tensions start to rise, and the already distinct friend groups split into factions even more than before. The rift between the cadets is not caused by familial strife, but homophobia, with Carlos Moreno/Tybalt (Bobby Moreno) who perceives Sam/Romeo to be the aggressor, becoming angered by the blatant flirting and Josh Neff/Mercutio/Lord Capulet (Hale Appleman) trying to talk him down. It is then, that Omar/Nurse and Gus/Benvolio step in to remove the two lovers from a potentially violent situation.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

When viewed through this lens, the movie becomes more clear. No, there are no warring families here, but warring friend groups becoming confronted with the reality of two young men falling for each other. This movie was made when “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was still the official policy in the military (it was repealed a couple of months after this movie was released), and Sam/Romeo’s and Glenn/Juliet’s budding relationship is forcing the other cadets to openly confront that which they would rather be left a secret.

Of course, not all the cadets are homophobic and uncomfortable with the relationship, as I mentioned, both leads have their confidantes who help them sneak around and be together. And then there’s Adam Hersh/Friar Laurence (Adam Barrie), he is a member of neither group but flits between the two. He sees the budding romance between Sam/Romeo and Glenn/Juliet as a way to not only bring the two groups together but to also enable other students to come out.

Unfortunately, things do not go smoothly for the young lovers, which you undoubtedly already know. Still angered by Sam/Romeo’s behavior the previous night, Carlos/Tybalt comes looking for a fight. And a fight he finds with Josh/Mercutio. No one actually dies in this movie, but Josh/Mercutio is left with some nasty bruises from Carlos/Tybalt, who, in turn, is left with a broken arm by Sam/Romeo. This puts more-senior cadet Ken Lee/Prince Escalus (Charlie Barnett) in a position where he must discipline Sam/Romeo, if he can find him that is.

You’re now likely wondering how our two leads manage to survive the end of the story. It starts off how you would expect, Glenn/Juliet obtains a potion from Adam/Friar Laurence that is supposed to make him appear dead. Sam/Romeo hears of his death and goes to see him. Instead of bringing his own poison, however, he finds that there is still liquid left in the bottle Glenn/Juliet drank, and he downs the rest of it, falling into a sleep that mirrors death. When Glenn/Juliet awakens to find Sam/Romeo seemingly deceased beside him, he kisses him, since Sam/Romeo had drunk significantly less of the potion than Glenn/Juliet, the shock of the kiss awakens him. As school officials with flashlights flood into the room, the two men look at each other, and kiss again. Yes, they have an uphill battle to face, but they’ll be together, and the movie certainly implies they’ll be okay.

In Conclusion: Private Romeo

Private Romeo took a lot of risks to bring this experimental adaptation of Romeo and Juliet to life. Ultimately, those risks paid off in bringing to life a story about two young men falling in love amidst the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” culture of an American military academy. While certain aspects, like the interspersed Youtube videos, feel a little clunky, overall the end product is well worthwhile. Add to that, a wonderfully talented cast makes this movie worth a watch.

Private Romeo came out in the USA on February 25, 2012. For all other release dates, see here.

Watch Private Romeo