The Blob: A Genius without a Brain

This film introduces Physarum polycephalum, the so-called Blob, by following researchers, artists and communicators as they test its strange behaviors and recent findings. Narration and first-hand interviews show how an organism without a central nervous system can route nutrients, solve spatial puzzles, and adapt to changing conditions. The documentary mixes time-lapse footage of growth, lab demonstrations, on-camera explanations and public demonstrations to make experimental methods more accessible. It keeps the focus on observable phenomena and scientific questions, asking what simple biological rules can teach us about problem solving, networks and design, without revealing any major surprises about individual experiments or conclusions. Vincent Londez narrates, with voices from Laurent Lederer and Serge Thiriet, and contributions by Audrey Dussutour and Toshiyuki Nakagaki.

Directed by Jacques Mitsch and created by Vivien Meltz, Laurent Mizrahi and Gilles Pedoussaut, The Blob: A Genius without a Brain debuted in 2019 as a feature documentary, blending science and outreach with accessible storytelling and vivid time-lapse microscopy visuals.

Since its release the film has attracted attention among scientists, educators and artists interested in unconventional cognition, inspiring classroom exercises, hands-on workshops, gallery pieces and public talks that reference slime mold as a model for decentralized problem solving and bio-inspired design, and it has helped spark interdisciplinary collaborations in practice.

Audiences have rated it highly, reflected in an 8.5/10 average from a small sample of reviewers, and many praised its clear explanations and striking imagery. The film emphasizes themes of emergent intelligence, resource allocation, network efficiency and how simple rules can produce complex behavior, and it appeals to non-specialist audiences.

Commercial box office figures aren't widely reported, and the documentary seems to have found most of its audience through festival screenings, academic presentations, science outreach events and limited theatrical or on-demand showings rather than a broad commercial release, as well.