The City Below

The City Below

Directed by Christoph Hochhäusler

Produced by WDR, Heimatfilm

2010105 min5.4 / 10

A morally murky romance between two married strangers in Frankfurt's high society, where attraction becomes entanglement and manipulation.

A man and a woman at an art exhibition share a fleeting moment of attraction, which neither can act upon. Days later, a chance second meeting leads to an innocent coffee and the two strangers – both married - toy with their unexplainable fascination for each other. Svenja is curious and finds herself in a hotel room with Roland, but she does not consummate an affair. A powerful executive at the large bank where Svenja's husband works, Roland is used to getting what he wants. He manipulates the transfer of her husband to Indonesia to replace a recently murdered bank manager. Unaware of Roland’s actions, Svenja now ceases to resist...

Questions people ask

  • Is The City Below sad? Yes. More sad than 82% of films.

  • Does The City Below end with hope? Not especially. Less hopeful than 70% of films.

  • Is The City Below scary? Not especially. Less frightening than 65% of films.

  • Is The City Below violent? Not especially. Less violent than 64% of films.

  • Is The City Below easy watching? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

17/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

Conventional, and it does not land.

Rarity46

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise8

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love7

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Like The City Below

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as The City Below

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like The City Below, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like The City Below, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like The City Below, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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