Born in the Sunset District neighborhood of San Francisco, Gilbert Anthony Milam Jr., known professionally as Berner, is a rapper with multiple albums under his belt, as well as a cannabis entrepreneur. Berner is the Co-founder and CEO of Cookies, an internationally known cannabis brand headquartered in San Francisco that offers more than 2,000 products with over 55 locations in five countries. He is also Founder and CEO of Cookies SF, a successful international clothing brand featured in fashion, sports, and music. After working on the Berner Presents: Choppin Game podcast, which features conversations on everything from the entertainment industry to cannabis and tech, Berner has decided to add filmmaker to his lengthy resume with his first feature film, Splash City. Co-written with David Mansanalez (Addicted to You) and directed by Berner alongside Alex Ferrufino (Slipping into Darkness), Splash City is a hard-hitting crime thriller which boasts some powerful performances in telling the harrowing account of a family thrown into turmoil as the result of bad decisions.
A still from the film SPLASH CITY.
Splash City introduces brothers Juju (Reed Shannon) and Slim (Zach Sowers) who live in San Francisco with their mother who is just doing the best she can to teach her sons to make good decisions. Older brother Slim has made some mistakes in the past but is working hard to straighten his life out and is hoping to become a professional basketball player. Juju, on the other hand, has chosen to run with a street crew who spends their time doing smash-and-grab robberies or “bippin.” Led by ruthless leader Dolo (Quincy “Galaxy” Brooks), Juju’s crew cruises the streets looking for cars to break into, later using stolen credit cards and cash to buy luxury items for themselves, after Dolo takes a large cut, of course. As Slim tries to secure a future for himself in professional basketball, he also tries to convince Juju to stop running the streets with the crew which only seems to make his younger brother want to go deeper into a life of crime. With a history of bad blood between them, a confrontation between Slim and Dolo over a robbery results in unexpected tragic consequences that change the brothers’ lives forever.
While Alejandro Lalinde’s (High Rollers) vivid cinematography presents a realistically gritty view of a life of crime on the streets, a couple of powerhouse performances dominate Splash City. Reed Shannon (Night Patrol) convincingly portrays Juju as a conflicted young man who thinks the only way to get ahead is running the streets with his crew despite knowing that what he’s doing is wrong. Shannon brings an almost endearing naivety to Juju, which makes his decisions even more intriguing. Dolo’s menacing and increasingly unhinged presence is made believable by Quincy “Galaxy” Brooks’s outstanding performance. Brooks boldly commands every scene he’s in. As Dolo becomes greedier and more fearless, it becomes obvious he’s not afraid to spill blood to get what he wants, leading to some brutal action sequences.
Berner’s real-life company Cookies is featured heavily in Splash City, with a scene in one of the company’s dispensaries and several characters prominently wearing Cookies apparel. Composer Andrew Morgan Smith’s (The Oval Portrait) striking score, as well as a catchy original hip hop soundtrack curated by Berner, perfectly accentuate the film and give Splash City an authentic Bay Area atmosphere.
A still from the film SPLASH CITY.
Showcasing sensational performances from Shannon and Brooks and crisp cinematography, Splash City is all about the choices we make in life and finding resilience in living with the consequences of our decisions and is a compelling, audacious directorial debut.
In select theaters beginning July 20th, 2026.
Final Score: 3 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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