Flowing (2022 film)

Lore & Background

Flowing (Italian: Piove) is a 2022 horror film co-written and directed by Paolo Strippoli. The screenplay won the Solinas Prize in 2017. Principal photography began in Rome in February 2021. The film was produced by Propaganda Italia, in association with Polifemo and GapBusters.

The film had its world premiere at the 2022 Fantastic Fest and was later screened at several festivals including the Rome Film Festival, Sitges Film Festival, Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival, and Trieste Science+Fiction Festival. It was released in Italian cinemas on 10 November 2022.

The cast includes Fabrizio Rongione as Thomas, Cristiana Dell'Anna as Cristina, Francesco Gheghi as Enrico, Leon de la Vallée as Gianluca, Ondina Quadri as Alice, Orso Maria Guerrini as Mr. Ferrini, Elena Di Cioccio as Marta, Nicolò Galasso as Giacomo, Federigo Ceci as Leonardo, Pietro Bontempo as Giacomo's Father, Aurora Menenti as Barbara, and Francesco Russo as Clerk.

Reader's Guide

Flowing received mixed critical reception. Alberto Crespi of La Repubblica praised the film, describing it as 'a horror film with a mournful and melodramatic heart' that proved the genre being still alive, even in Italy. Camillo De Marco from Cineuropa described the film as an 'emotional horror film' inclinating 'towards a hybridisation of films observing society and genre films'. Douglas Davidson from Elements of Madness wrote: 'Though Flowing is very on-the-nose with its messaging, it’s no less impactful due to its creativity'. However, Sara D’Ascenzo from Corriere del Veneto was more critical, noting it 'seem more like a rough draft, a film school graduation essay, than an accomplished artistic act'. The film's significance lies in its contribution to contemporary Italian horror cinema and its festival presence across multiple international genre festivals.

Did You Know?

• The screenplay won the Solinas Prize in 2017.
• Principal photography started in Rome in February 2021.
• The film had its world premiere at the 2022 Fantastic Fest.
• It was released in Italian cinemas on 10 November 2022.

Creative Origins & Production Journey

The screenplay for Flowing, known in Italian as Piove, first earned recognition when it took home the Solinas Prize in 2017, a prestigious Italian screenwriting award. That early validation meant the project sat in development for roughly four years before cameras finally rolled. Principal photography kicked off in Rome in February 2021, giving the script ample time to mature between its award and the start of shooting. The finished film is an Italian-Belgian co-production, both written and directed by Paolo Strippoli, lending it a singular authorial voice. Production was spearheaded by Propaganda Italia, working alongside two partners—Polifemo and GapBusters—reflecting the international, multi-company structure typical of cross-border European genre projects. The result is a horror film that, as critics noted, threads social observation through its genre framework, a tonal ambition that likely shaped the lengthy pre-production period.

Festival Circuit & Theatrical Release

Flowing debuted on the world stage at the 2022 Fantastic Fest, a well-known genre film festival. From that launchpad, the film traveled to a broad slate of international festivals, including the Rome Film Festival, Spain's Sitges Film Festival, the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival in the United States, France's Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival, and Italy's Trieste Science+Fiction Festival. This wide-ranging circuit—spanning horror-specific, science-fiction, and general programming—suggests the film's hybrid identity made it a natural fit for multiple festival categories rather than a single niche. After completing its festival run, the picture found its way into Italian cinemas on 10 November 2022. The sheer number of festivals across three continents underscores the production's ambition to position Italian horror within a genuinely international genre conversation.

Critical Reception & Genre Identity

Reviews of Flowing split along a clear line between those who embraced its emotional ambition and those who found the execution uneven. Alberto Crespi of La Repubblica championed the film, calling it a horror picture with a mournful, melodramatic core and arguing it proved the genre was still very much alive in Italian cinema. Camillo De Marco at Cineuropa labeled it an emotional horror work that leans into a hybridization of socially observant storytelling and genre conventions. Douglas Davidson of Elements of Madness conceded the messaging was very on-the-nose but insisted the film's creativity kept it impactful. At the opposite pole, Sara D'Ascenzo of Corriere del Veneto was far less forgiving, likening the finished product to a rough draft or a film-school graduation essay rather than a polished artistic statement. The spread of opinions highlights how difficult critics found it to pin down the film's exact identity.

Ensemble Cast & Narrative Structure

Flowing assembles a twelve-member ensemble led by Fabrizio Rongione as Thomas and Cristiana Dell'Anna as Cristina. The supporting roster includes Francesco Gheghi as Enrico, Leon de la Vallée as Gianluca, Ondina Quadri as Alice, and Orso Maria Guerrini as Mr. Ferrini. Rounding out the cast are Elena Di Cioccio as Marta, Nicolò Galasso as Giacomo, Federigo Ceci as Leonardo, Pietro Bontempo as Giacomo's Father, Aurora Menenti as Barbara, and Francesco Russo as a Clerk. The depth of this ensemble—far beyond a simple two-hander—points toward a narrative built around multiple intersecting lives and relationships within a community. That structural choice, combined with the Italian-Belgian co-production framework and Paolo Strippoli's dual role as writer-director, suggests a story where individual characters collectively carry the film's thematic weight rather than relying on a single protagonist's arc.

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