Fantastic Fungi

"The magic beneath us"

2019 1h 20m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 199

Documentary

Synopsis

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A vivid journey into the mysterious subterranean world of mycelium and its fruit— the mushroom. A story that begins 3.5 billion years ago, fungi makes the soil that supports life, connecting vast systems of roots from plants and trees all over the planet, like an underground Internet. Through the eyes of renowned mycologist Paul Stamets, professor of forest ecology Suzanne Simard, best selling author Michael Pollan, food naturalist Eugenia Bone and others, we experience the power, beauty and complexity of the fungi kingdom.

“The magic beneath us”

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Cast

Brie Larson
Narrator (voice)
Paul Stamets
Self
Michael Pollan
Self
Roland Griffiths
Self
Andrew Weil
Self
Mary P. Cosmiano
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Louie Schwartzberg
Writers: Mark Monroe
Languages: English

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

80 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kevin Klauber shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Brie Larson and Paul Stamets and Michael Pollan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The magic beneath us".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt8258074 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Louie Schwartzberg directs. Kevin Klauber cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

180 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 7 years ago.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Editor Kevin Klauber shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Brie Larson and Paul Stamets and Michael Pollan carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The magic beneath us".
7IMDB entry: tt8258074 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Released under 17 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Editing: Kevin Klauber
Runtime: 80 min · 1h 20m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $1,096,179
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Fantastic Fungi (2019)

Also by

Louie Schwartzberg

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Community reviews

What people are saying

JPRetana2026-06-13
Fantastic Fungi (2019) insists that mushrooms are intelligent — and they certainly are, compared to the quote-unquote experts featured in this pseudocumentary. Then again, the narration, from the point of view of a mushroom (or all of them, unless this particular one is using the royal “we”), doesn’t make them seem like the sharpest knife in the kitchen: “You can’t see us, but we bloom around you. Everywhere, in everything and even within you, whether you believe in us or not.” Huh? Who doesn’t “believe” in mushrooms? Is there such a thing as “fungus denial”? According to Fantastic Fungi, not only are fungi intelligent and capable of communication, but they are also at least partially responsible for human intelligence and language — or at least this is what the “Stoned Ape Hypothesis” proposes. This theory, which has all the scientific basis of Jack and the Beanstalk, argues that Homo evolved from Erectus to Sapiens by virtue of eating psychedelic mushrooms found in cow dung. The only conclusion to be drawn from this is that someone was definitely on drugs when they made this stuff up. Back to the supposed fungal communication, the film posits that “Trees communicate using the mycelium as pathways … we are finding in our research that plants can recognize their own relatives. So these mother trees recognize their relatives through their mycorrhizal networks.” Isn’t it pretty to think so? However, plants are living beings with cellulose cell walls, which lack nervous or sensory organs. Animals do not have cellulose cell walls, but they do have nerve or sensory organs. Animals are sentient; plants are not. Animals can experience pain, pleasure, and various emotions. Plants cannot. A brain and a nervous system are necessary for sentience; even if fungi are more animal than plant, but like plants, they have no brain or nervous system. Plants react to physical and chemical stimuli, but there is no justification for claiming that plants are aware of these reactions, that they are self-conscious or conscious beings. Plants have DNA and have evolved by natural and artificial selection. Some plant adaptations may seem “intelligent,” but to call plants intelligent, or to claim that there is a “plant neurobiology,” is to speak metaphorically and it’s little more than a gimmick intended to draw attention and perhaps get a grant. I don’t understand why mushroomheads can’t just admit that they like getting high, and stop making smug excuses to justify their habit. Eating mushrooms doesn’t make them low-lives, but it doesn’t mean they’re morally or intellectually superior to the rest of recreational users.

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