When you think of cannabis and cinema, you generally think of two categories: comedy duos like Cheech and Chong or classic propaganda films like Reefer Madness. What you rarely see is heartfelt drama and storytelling that tells the other side of what cannabis is like for those still living and growing in illegal states—and that’s what Grassland does. I came into the screening with all the knowledge the story was going to tell me, as I have lived it, and still walked out feeling emotions I didn’t expect.
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The story behind Grassland
Set during the 2008 economic recession, Grassland centers on Sofia, portrayed by Mia Maestro, a single Latina mother working in the shadows of an illegal cannabis market to support her young son, Leo, played by Ravi Cabot-Conyers. Their fragile livelihood is put at risk when Leo strikes up an unlikely friendship with their new neighbors—a white boy and his grandfather, a local police officer. Through this tense and intimate story, the film explores how systemic inequality and criminalization push marginalized families into dangerous situations, exposing the human cost of surviving under unjust laws.
Director Will Bermudez crafted Grassland as a meditation on the double standards surrounding cannabis use and enforcement, portraying a world where weed may now be legal or decriminalized in many places, but that reality never existed for people like Leo’s mother. She’s caught in a system that leaves her few options, where the only way to make ends meet is to break the law.
Where Art and Advocacy Intersect
One of the most moving moments of the film came from a simple slide statistic that we all know but try not to think about. I won’t give you any spoilers, but let’s just say it involves legal sales versus incarceration, and the numbers are staggering. The visceral feeling you get when seeing those numbers is why the Last Prisoner Project (LPP) resonates powerfully with the themes explored in Grassland. Founded to address the glaring injustices caused by decades of cannabis criminalization, LPP is dedicated to freeing individuals incarcerated for nonviolent cannabis offenses and helping them rebuild their lives in the wake of legalization.
Grassland feels like a cinematic companion piece to LPP’s real-world activism. The film illustrates, on a deeply personal level, how the war on drugs has torn families apart and forced marginalized individuals into dangerous corners of survival. Leo’s mother isn’t portrayed as a criminal—she’s a mother navigating an impossible situation, much like the individuals LPP fights for every day. Together, the film and the organization underscore a painful truth: legalization means little if we don’t also reckon with the damage prohibition caused. Grassland sparks empathy; LPP provides the action.
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Lights, Camera, Community: Grassland’s Cast and Crew Get Personal
Following the screening, director Will Bermudez took the stage at the historic Los Feliz 3 Theatre in Hollywood, joined by producers David Goldblum and Adam Edery, cast members Mia Maestro, Jeff Kober, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, and Sean Convery, along with cinematographer Veronica Bouza and composer Zach Nicita. The Q&A was hosted by Jim Hemphill, who came prepared with questions that delved into the film’s eighteen-day shoot, the challenges of navigating the SAG strikes, and the unique decision to film inside director Sam Friedman’s family home.
When the floor opened up to the audience, the most unexpected moment of the night came not from a question for the filmmakers but for the mothers of the two young actors portraying Leo and Tom. At first, the panel looked a bit puzzled—until it was revealed that both moms were in attendance. Each spoke with warmth and insight about the conversations surrounding drugs and policing that informed their sons’ performances. It was a beautifully sincere moment—one that underscored the film’s emotional impact and grounded its message in real-world perspective.
When the Screen Mirrors Real Life
It’s a bit surreal to watch a movie that has so many parallels to my own life. Like Leo, I grew up with a single mother, and we grew cannabis. So a lot of things both made sense and possibly hurt in ways that were unexpected.
When Leo was not allowed to have friends inside, I could relate to years of the same. The interactions between John, portrayed by Jeff Kober, and Brandon, played by Quincy Isaiah, were palpable and brought back vivid memories of guns drawn and times gone wrong. We also met a similar fate and faced the repercussions of the legal system in an illegal state. Never has a movie been so spot-on about what the feelings of those situations actually bring, and while I feel vindicated that a story so similar to mine has been told, I hope no one else ever has to go through it.
After the screening, I was able to corner the director, Will Bermudez, and ask him the most burning question I had. Who was at fault? Who was the villain of this story, and who was to blame? Having had these emotions about my own history, this question felt more personal.
“If I had to put blame on a single source, I would say it was the system that failed. The larger capitalist system that we are all a part of and enable are the most to blame. Hopefully, throughout the film, you see that John is just a pawn of that system. Sofia—everyone living in that system—is doing their best to survive.”
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Not Your Typical Stoner Flick
Grassland is a movie that is not shackled to the genres that other cannabis films have been. Instead, it’s carving its own path as a social drama and a coming-of-age story—where the setting may actually be a lot more common than you think and not just executive produced by him.
With the movie releasing right in time for our favorite holiday, it’s perfect to sit back, smoke, and think about how fortunate and unfortunate some of us are. I’ll leave you with what was shouted out during probably the tensest scene of the film, but perfectly embodies how I feel about people watching this movie: Do it!
Available now for pre-order on Apple TV
Releasing everywhere movies are sold April 18th
*This article was submitted by a guest contributor. The author is solely responsible for the content.