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Pompei: Below the Clouds

Play trailer 1:33 Poster for Pompei: Below the Clouds Mar 2026 1h 55m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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97% Tomatometer 34 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
From award-winning filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi comes Pompei: Below the Clouds, a striking portrait of life in Naples, a city living in the shadow of Vesuvius. Beneath the quiet threat of eruption, people go about their days: archaeologists unearth the past, children learn as the earth hums, firefighters wait for the next call. The result is a portrait at once local and universal: a reflection on humanity's capacity to live, love, and rebuild in the shadow of the unimaginable.

Critics Reviews

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Robert Abele Los Angeles Times Mar 13
Absorbing this well-chosen album is a treat, and a chance to appreciate the delicate mortality that thrives in a place simultaneously enormous, eternal and ephemeral. Go to Full Review Kimberley Jones Austin Chronicle Mar 12
3.5/5
The effect is something like a series of living dioramas, with the viewer swiveling between tableaux and softly encouraged to make their own connections. Go to Full Review Bilge Ebiri New York Magazine/Vulture Mar 6
Shot in black and white and filled with images of collapse, Below the Clouds is nevertheless a strangely hopeful work. Go to Full Review Maxance Vincent Awards Radar 3d
3.5/4
It’s definitely [Gianfranco Rosi's] best film, and one worth thinking about for a (very) long time… Go to Full Review Carla Hay Culture Mix 3d
It's the type of cinéma vérité-style documentary that will test the patience of people who have no interest in 'slice of life' films. It's an interesting but not particularly informative look at 21st century Pompei in the shadow of the Vesuvius volcano. Go to Full Review Diego Batlle Otroscines.com 5d
4/5
...at times the story gets a little scattered...but if one accepts these excesses and immerses oneself in the visual and sound universe, the result is fascinating and unforgettable. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Marvin B. @princedoc44 6d I didn’t particularly care for this movie. I was expecting a movie about how the neopolitans live under the threat of Vesuvius. What you get if a lot of scenes with no explanations and no connections. This movie missed on many levels. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Mar 7 Real footage in 1 hour and 55 minutes. All ages admitted. See more Read all reviews
Pompei: Below the Clouds

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Gianfranco Rosi

Director

Gianfranco Rosi

Writer

Gianfranco Rosi

Cinematographer

Gianfranco Rosi

Film Editor

Fabrizio Federico

Film Editor

Donatella Palermo

Producer
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Pompei: Below the Clouds

Pompei: Below the Clouds: Trailer 1 Pompei: Below the Clouds: Trailer 1 1:33 View more videos
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Pompei: Below the Clouds

Pompei: Below the Clouds (2025) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis From award-winning filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi comes Pompei: Below the Clouds, a striking portrait of life in Naples, a city living in the shadow of Vesuvius. Beneath the quiet threat of eruption, people go about their days: archaeologists unearth the past, children learn as the earth hums, firefighters wait for the next call. The result is a portrait at once local and universal: a reflection on humanity's capacity to live, love, and rebuild in the shadow of the unimaginable.
Director
Gianfranco Rosi
Producer
Donatella Palermo, Gianfranco Rosi, Paolo Del Brocco
Screenwriter
Gianfranco Rosi, Gianfranco Rosi
Distributor
MUBI
Production Co
RAI Cinema, 21uno Film, Stemal Entertainment
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
Italian
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 6, 2026, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA)
$52.3K
Runtime
1h 55m