The realistic anti-MLM film "The World of Grass and Trees" directed by Gu Xiaogang and starring Wu Lei, Jiang Qinqin, Chen Jianbin, and Wang Jiajia will be released in theaters nationwide on April 3.

On March 28, the film's leading actors Wu Lei, Jiang Qinqin, and Chen Jianbin came to Shanghai for a roadshow. The "family of three" in the film finally reunited and shared their creative insights about movies and life with students from Shanghai University.

Wu Lei, Jiang Qinqin, Chen Jianbin

As the first domestic film focusing on the anti-MLM theme, the film tells the story of He Mulian (played by Wu Lei), a newly graduated college student, who sacrifices his life to save his mother Wu Taihua (played by Jiang Qinqin) when she discovers that she is trapped in a pyramid scheme. Wu Lei shared his experience of being deceived as a child and advised the audience to "be more vigilant"; Jiang Qinqin compared MLM to "spiritual opium" and not to be greedy.

Wu Taihua, played by Jiang Qinqin, wanted to buy a house for her son He Mulian to settle down in Hangzhou, so she fell into the trap of a pyramid selling organization packaged as the "sharing economy". The simple and tenacious Wu Taihua went from hesitant to slowly excited in the strange lights. She was " "Share it with the most important people in your life" and other words to control her mentality, and she was controlled by the MLM organization step by step. She gave her the warmest applause, her most precious trust and almost all her life's wealth. In the film, Jiang Qinqin won the Asian Film Award for Best Actress for her performance from a kind and simple tea-picking girl to her gradually losing control and going crazy, gaining recognition both within and outside the industry.

Stills from "The World of Grass and Trees"

During the post-screening exchange, the students discussed the inner lives of the film’s characters with the leading actors Wu Lei and Jiang Qinqin, and deeply interpreted the characters’ vivid and fuller images. Wu Lei, Jiang Qinqin, and Chen Jianbin also shared their views and stories about being deceived by pyramid schemes.

Jiang Qinqin compared MLM to "spiritual opium", saying that the so-called "wealth" and "independence" of MLM can bring very short-lived satisfaction, so don't be greedy for temporary happiness; Chen Jianbin laughed and said, "MLM can't wash my mind at all. Only Teacher Jiang" caused the audience to scream. Chen Jianbin praised his wife in a fancy way, saying that she "has turned into someone I don't know. She is as ferocious as Quasimodo in Victor Hugo's novel, as crazy as Don Quixote in Cervantes' novel, and as entangled as Shakespeare's... Hamlet".

Jiang Qinqin

Wu Lei shared the story of how when he was a child, he saved a month's pocket money and was defrauded by the "Q Coin Double" website. He said in a relaxed and humorous tone, "I experienced a huge financial blow at a young age, which was my entire net worth at that time." "Having such a poignant life experience has sounded the "anti-fraud" alarm since childhood, laying the foundation for the character creation in the film and achieving "He Mulian, the sober man in the world".

Wu Lei

Chen Jianbin spoke highly of Wu Lei's performance and said that he often wonders: "He is only 23 years old, why does he have the soul of an ancient actor?" In Chen Jianbin's observation, although Wu Lei has been working in the industry for a long time , but "he is not tainted with the charlatanism at all, and his heart is still an innocent heart."

Chen Jianbin

In the film, Wu Lei's "searching" is about family and self. Wu Lei shared that Mulian had been in a state of confusion and aimlessness in the early stage, and even went astray into a fraud organization. "Growing up in the process of rescuing my mother who was trapped in a pyramid scheme, I realized what the choices and answers were in my heart" and became more mature and determined. The sentence "We may take the wrong path on the way to search, but we still have to move forward together in the direction of the light" touched the students present, tenderly and firmly.

The campus road show, which visited 15 universities in eight days and eight cities, officially came to an end, which also left the main creator with a lot of feelings. Wu Lei lamented that "I was very nervous at first, and I am still very nervous now", but "I am getting more and more practical every day". From the audience's feedback after watching the movie, he felt that "the grass of "The World of Grass" is slowly starting to sprout. I am very happy." Jiang Qinqin thanked the audience for bringing the film to life. "Everyone has given it new life and new themes after watching the film."

"The World of Grass and Trees" Poster

On the same day, Wu Lei, Jiang Qinqin, and Chen Jianbin, the crew of the movie "The World of Grass and Trees", attended Dragon TV's 2024 TV Series Quality Ceremony. Wu Lei talked about his mother-son experience with Jiang Qinqin and said: "When you are happy, you are in heaven, and when you are painful, you are in hell. This is our "World of Grass and Trees".

The three of them showed off their hearts on the red carpet of the TV Drama Quality Ceremony.

Every plant, every tree, every sorrow and every joy, they are all phenomena in the world. The film "The World of Grass and Trees" will be officially released on April 3, Qingming Festival.