Dead Poets Society: Romance... of Friendship? (Hear me out!)

Okay, so I KNOW Dead Poets Society isn't technically a rom-com. Like, no one ends up getting married in a meadow at the end, right? But I've been thinking... isn't there a HUGE element of romanticism, just re-directed? Hear me out! It's all about passion, longing, and intense connection. Think about it: Keating's not just teaching these kids about poetry; he's igniting their souls! That's like, Rom-Com 101 stuff. And it's not even just about Keating. The friendship between the boys – the Dead Poets Society itself – feels like a deeply intense, almost homoerotic (in the platonic sense, okay?). Like, Neil's devotion to poetry and acting, and then his tragic end… the way the others rally around him, and then Keating… it's like watching a love story break apart. The final scene when they stand on their desks? That's the grand romantic gesture that sends me, every freakin' time. Forget slow-motion airport chases, give me that any day. Maybe it's just me, but I think the movie taps into the same emotional well as a great rom-com, just without the heteronormative love plot. Instead of boy-meets-girl, it's boy-meets-his-authentic-self-through-friendship-and-poetry. Plus, young Ethan Hawke? Hello! I think the unrequited-ness is kind of what makes it so affecting. Anyone else feel this way, or am I totally off base? Please say I'm not alone in seeing the rom-com potential, because I'm ready to pitch 'Dead Poets Society 2: College Years' where they all fall in love (with each other, maybe?) lol. Oops, did I say that out loud?