Private Romeo centers on an affirming gay romance between two male cadets, adapting Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet.' The film portrays their love with dignity, complexity, and agency, making their queer identity central to the narrative. Despite the tragic ending, which mirrors the source material, the film's stance remains empathetic, validating the worth of their love and lives.

The film 'Private Romeo' is an adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' set in an all-male military academy. The character of Juliet, canonically female in the source material, is portrayed as male in this adaptation, constituting a gender swap.

The film is an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." While the original play's characters are implicitly white based on its historical setting, the character of Mercutio is portrayed by a Black actor in "Private Romeo," which constitutes a race swap.