Burning Rainbow Farm stars Sebastian Stan & Leo Woodall in a true story of love, cannabis activism, and tragedy in 1990s Michigan…
In a film that promises to be as heart-wrenching as it is politically charged, Burning Rainbow Farm will tell the real-life story of Tom Crosslin and Rollie Rohm — a gay couple who dared to dream of freedom, only to be met with tragedy. Directed by Justin Kurzel (Snowtown, Macbeth), the upcoming movie stars Sebastian Stan and Leo Woodall, who will portray the couple at the center of one of America’s most overlooked civil rights stories.
Set in rural Michigan in the 1990s, Burning Rainbow Farm isn’t just another period drama — it’s a gut-punch of a love story. One wrapped in weed smoke, rainbow flags, and the heavy fog of government surveillance.
A dream built on love and resistance
Rainbow Farm wasn’t supposed to end the way it did.
Tom and Rollie didn’t set out to be martyrs. They built Rainbow Farm — a 34-acre campground in Vandalia, Michigan — to create a space where people could gather, talk policy, smoke freely, and advocate for marijuana legalization without fear. Think Woodstock meets grassroots activism, with events like HempAid and Roach Roast drawing thousands each year.
But in a conservative town already suspicious of queerness and cannabis, it didn’t take long before the couple found themselves under a microscope. In 2001, after being arrested for growing marijuana and having Rollie’s 12-year-old son taken into state custody, their peaceful protest became something darker. Faced with criminal charges and a broken system, they lit their farm on fire — and refused to leave.
What followed was a five-day standoff with law enforcement that ended with both men shot dead by FBI agents. The national media barely covered it. Just days later, the world turned its attention to the 9/11 attacks, and Rainbow Farm faded into the footnotes.
From book to big screen
This devastating chapter of American history found new life in Dean Kuipers’ 2006 book Burning Rainbow Farm: How a Stoner Utopia Went Up in Smoke. It’s this source material that inspired the film adaptation, now finally moving forward after years of delays and a change in directors.
Kurzel’s films have never shied away from emotional weight or moral gray areas, which makes him a fitting match for the project. He’ll bring a raw, grounded lens to a story that’s as much about civil liberties as it is about love — queer love, at that — in a time and place where it was rarely accepted.
Stan, known for roles in I, Tonya and the Marvel universe, takes on the role of Tom Crosslin. Woodall, fresh off The White Lotus, will portray Rollie Rohm. Their casting feels intentional — a younger generation of actors telling a story the world tried to forget.
More than a movie
This isn’t just a film about weed or protest. It’s a film about two men who built something beautiful and were punished for it. About the cost of choosing to live freely in a country that still punishes nonconformity. And, much like Bain’s recent coming out in the K-pop world, it adds another layer to the ongoing narrative of queer resistance.
Burning Rainbow Farm arrives at a time when conversations about cannabis, queerness, and state violence are still incredibly relevant. Despite progress, the intersection of those issues remains fraught with tension — especially in rural America.
The film won’t be easy to watch. But it shouldn’t be.
As we continue pushing for change — in laws, in minds, in hearts — remembering stories like Tom and Rollie’s becomes even more important. They weren’t just activists. They were lovers, parents, and people who wanted to be left alone to live out loud.
Now, more than two decades later, the world might finally be ready to hear them.
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