Edoardo Bove arrived at the Rome Film Festival as a footballer confronting a different kind of public stage. The Watford midfielder, a 24-year-old from Rome, presented In un battito, Giovanni Troilo’s documentary film about the cardiac emergency that interrupted his Fiorentina career during the match against Inter on 1 December 2024, and about the uncertain space that followed it.
A story beyond the pitch
The film, due to be screened in cinemas from 16 to 18 November, follows Bove between hospital rooms, training grounds, family life and friendships. Produced by Alea, No Name and Rai Cinema, with Edoardo Leo among the producers, it is not intended as a conventional sporting comeback story.
Bove said the project was built around a young man whose planned path was suddenly altered, leaving him to understand what should fill the void. He wanted the film to look beneath the identity of a professional player rather than simply document an athlete’s recovery.
“This is not a film about me getting back on the field,” Bove explained. “It is about someone whose life changes direction and has to find a way forward.”
He described the documentary as a place of shelter during a difficult period, but also as an act of openness in a sport where players are not always encouraged to reveal vulnerability. Bove said he hoped those facing their own difficult moments might leave the cinema with greater strength to confront them, and with the confidence to ask for help when necessary.
- The documentary is directed by Giovanni Troilo.
- It recounts the aftermath of Bove’s collapse during Fiorentina’s home match with Inter on 1 December 2024.
- The cinema run is scheduled for 16-18 November.
- Edoardo Leo is among the producers alongside Alea, No Name and Rai Cinema.
Football remains part of the picture
The forced pause has given Bove time to consider a life not entirely defined by fixtures, training sessions and the next selection decision. He said footballers move through events at great speed, often without sufficient time to stop and reflect.
That reflection has brought a new awareness of himself away from the game. Still, Bove made clear that the version of his life which includes football remains the one he prefers.
He is currently settled at Watford and said playing abroad had been one of his ambitions. Yet Italy remains close: he continues to follow Serie A, retains a strong attachment to Roma and does not rule out a future return if Italian eligibility regulations were to change.
“I am happy where I am now, but I have always remained connected to Roma and to Italy,” he said. “I do not want to close any door. Football can bring surprises.”
Bove described a return as a possibility rather than a fixed dream. Asked about Roma’s season, he felt the Giallorossi had made a positive beginning, while stressing that there is still a long campaign ahead.
From personal emergency to public training
The discussion also turned to defibrillators, emergency response and the proposed Bove Law. Bove said he had been told that the bill had been placed on the January parliamentary schedule and could gain approval because it has support across political lines.
The initiative grew from contacts made through the film with first-aid organisations and parents who have lost children. Bove said the proposal is not specifically about sport, but about the everyday need for people to know how to respond when an emergency occurs.
Its central ambition is to widen first-aid education among school-age young people, increasing the number of trained people from around 15,000 to more than 100,000.
- The proposed Bove Law is expected to be considered in January.
- It has received cross-party backing.
- Its focus is wider than football and concerns emergency intervention in daily life.
- The target is to expand training from 15,000 people to more than 100,000, beginning in schools.
Bove was also asked about Eriksen and the impact of seeing another player’s medical episode. He said it affected him, but noted with a smile that a defibrillator is life-saving equipment. For him, being able to speak about such matters with a degree of humour was evidence that he had faced the experience directly.
An unfamiliar role, without leaving the old one behind
At the festival, Bove moved through a world far removed from the routine of a dressing room, spending time with Leo and greeting actor Valerio Mastandrea, who attended his press conference. The fictional sequences in the documentary gave him a first experience of being on set, and he admitted that he enjoyed it.
However, he dismissed the suggestion of a new acting career. Being in front of cameras did not come naturally, he said, even if he chose to accept the challenge of the film. His defining profession, he insisted, remains football.
The first public response was expected at the preview screening at Teatro Olimpico. Friends from the football world, including Bryan Cristante, Niccolò Pisilli and Stephan El Shaarawy, were expected to attend, alongside institutional figures led by Sports Minister Andrea Abodi.
