I’ve latched onto Nature Documentaries since childhood, mainly due to David Attenborough (Who is not in this film). I’m a sucker for incredible cinematography, smooth narration, and the knowledge these documentaries bring to the table. Fantastic Fungi has all of that but also digs deeper, further than just a nature documentary. It was created by Film Maker Louie Schwartzberg, and has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (Which doesn’t guarantee quality, but it shows people enjoyed it). So now let’s talk about Fantastic Fungi, a fantastic film about the fantastic world beneath us all.
Mushrooms, and the Magical Stream of Mycelium
Fantastic Fungi is a weirdly structured documentary. The initial half is all expectedly about fungi and their general niche in ecosystems. It delves deeper into the world of mushrooms, addressing the interesting biology that occurs at the microscopic level. Of course this isn’t as visually interesting as watching a Predator hunt its prey, but it addresses the nonvisual importance of these organisms.
My favourite part was when the documentary addressed the research ongoing with Fungi in scientific fields. One such topic was the use of fungi to clean up oil spills, where they put fungi into a batch of pollution, and saw fungal life grow and develop from this patch. The main message of this film is that mushrooms could be the foundation to ‘save the world’, medically and non-medically.
The last third or so takes an interesting and more controversial turn into psychedelics, and the use of drugs to approach mental illness. They talk about life-changing experiences using mushrooms, gaining spiritual enlightenment or hope. In talking about the show, I do not advocate for the use of hallucinogenic plants.
So, What do I like and Dislike about this film?
Ill first say the initial cinematography is gorgeous. I had never thought a mushroom was beautiful before watching this. The film is complex and educational. They show history and research to target this under-talked about field.
Although controversial, it’s quite intriguing to see them discuss psychedelics, spirituality, and the like. They have the attitude of saying what they believe in.
The breadth of discussion can work as both a positive and negative. They cover a vast array of topics within the film, so it’s not as focused as other nature documentaries about specific life-forms or concepts often are.
I felt as though they could discuss the history more in depth. Many societies have used psychedelic’s previously, culturally and religiously. They did not cover this to the extent I feel they could’ve, especially with the time budget allocated to hallucinogens’.
The portion about psychedelics felt a little off-hand while watching. I wasn’t expecting them to go so deep into it, and thought they would only briefly touch on it since spirituality is less objective and scientific driven as the rest of the film, though it does mention scientific studies. It’s difficult to review the information in the last third because it really depends on your openness to that sort of practice. This portion is very anecdotal experience heavy, and such avocation works to try and convince the viewer to also try hallucinogenic mushrooms, which are illegal in Canada. However, since they address the medical use with these, they also could be saying, “If psychedelics become an effective antidepressant, then you shouldn’t be that afraid of it medically. “
But overall, I think it’s a neat documentary. It’s not a must-watch, but it is an interesting and nuanced documentary that tackles controversial topics, and reveals the important but ‘underrated’ world of mushrooms.
Image Sources: Featured Image/ 1(Louie Schwartzberg Profile)/ 2/ 3
