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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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98% Tomatometer 40 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.
Pompei: Below the Clouds

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Guided by Gianfranco Rosi's eloquent directorial hand, Pompei: Below the Clouds captures life in a fragile, volcano-shadowed city with a deeply evocative, surprisingly hopeful cinematic mosaic.

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Critics Reviews

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Wendy Ide Observer (UK) Mar 30
Below the Clouds is a rewarding, wryly funny mosaic of a turbulent city, flanked by volcanoes and rich with stories. Go to Full Review
David Jenkins Little White Lies Mar 28
3/5
The film is ambling, gentle and doesn’t strain too hard to force a point, but allows you to appreciate the multifarious nature of life in a city where the spectre of destruction lurks ominously in the clouds. Go to Full Review
Tara Brady Irish Times Mar 26
4.5/5
Taking its cues from those ancient remains, Rosi’s deserving Special Prize winner at Venice gifts us a pristine, durable snapshot of Naples. Go to Full Review
Dionar Hidalgo Algo Más Que Cine Apr 11
8/10
A haunting, visually striking documentary that prioritizes mood over narrative. Rosi crafts a hypnotic experience, though its slow pace and abstract approach may not resonate with all viewers. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Leprechaun K @LeprechaunKing Apr 5 It is visually stunning. As a documentary, it fails in everyway. It gives little to no information on the subject matter. This is the 6th or 7th MUBI original I've watched and every single one is horrible. The movie industry is dying and originals like this is adding to the cause. See more virginia S @Ginny72 Apr 4 Beautifully filmed, but painfully slow and often repetitive. (And this from a person who has visited Pompeii and the surrounding area several times.) See more Marvin B. @princedoc44 Mar 16 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 The worldwide gross is $219,560.00. See more Read all reviews
Pompei: Below the Clouds

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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