Why did Federico Fellini move away from strict Neorealism?

Federico Fellini moved away from strict Neorealism due to his pursuit of a more personal, idiosyncratic style that often leaned toward the fantastic, surreal, and allegorical. While he began his career as a screenwriter for key Neorealist films like Open City, his creative vision eventually diverged from the movement's documentary-like objectivity and focus on social reality.1234

Fellini’s transition was marked by his fascination with the seedy, imaginative worlds of vaudeville and the circus, which he began to incorporate into his work. By the 1960s, his films—such as La dolce vita and 8 1/2—became increasingly surrealistic, establishing him as a flamboyant, ironic fantasist. This shift alienated Neorealist purists, who favored the movement's original commitment to depicting the everyday lives of ordinary people. Ultimately, Fellini’s evolution reflected his desire to superimpose dreamlike and hallucinatory imagery onto the cinematic landscape, significantly expanding the vocabulary of film.1243