Post-War Drama Designed to Manipulate the Heart

The Children’s Train (Netflix), an Italian film with both subtitles and dubbed voices and based on a novel of the same name by Viola Ardone, explores ‘the trains of happiness’ of post-war Italy. While it’s a fascinating look at the mindset of Italians, both North and South, in the wake of WWII, it feels a bit over-egged and disjointed as a story, sometimes losing its thread. Covering a time of huge uncertainty in the world, it focuses on the child’s experience of wartime.

The very first scene is of an acclaimed maestro violinist preparing for a concert but receiving a call from his mother that his mother has died. Two mothers? You’ll see. Even though we circle back later, we never do get a sampling of his talent. As he walks to the stage – of course, the show must go on – he recalls his 7-year-old self and how the aftermath of WWII set him on his current path. 

With bombs still exploding, it tells the story of families deciding to send their children North for a season, away from the rubble and poverty of 1946-Naples. Northern ‘Communist’ families working for peace welcome children for a period as Southern Italy gets itself back on its feet.

Suspicious, like it could be a war trick, it’s tough for Southern nationalist families to come around to the idea. But those with the least are convinced by their circumstances that their precious children will be better off elsewhere. As neighbors warn that their young will become food for the Russians, one single mother of a shoe-obsessed child realizes her options are few as she struggles to keep afloat. Young Amerigo is immediately ensnared by the promise of shoes without holes, a leap from his current barefoot state.

While the story is focused on the children’s experience and a bit on why Amerigo’s mother chose to send him away, it doesn’t share why families of the North opened their homes. There’s a worry for Amerigo that it’s all ‘charity’ – which, surely it was (rather than political). But this is never born out. Instead, the answer to Amerigo is that it’s love. Perhaps this focuses on a purely Italian and perhaps resentful definition of charity?

On that note, it’s interesting to see how words like Fascist and Communist are used in 1940s Italy compared to their interpretation today or versus a dictionary definition. No matter who says it, in any time period, it’s always with disdain. With brief glimpses of the ‘Fascist’ women worrying about having to return to their post-war places in society (like many women of the time all around the world), this ultimate question of why is left hanging for our assumption. And charity joins the pile of dirty words. 

If you’ve seen the British film, One Life, about Sir Nicholas Winton, a British stockbroker who saved more than 600 children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, you get a better picture of the motivation of the families on the receiving end. And yes, it starts from a feeling of charity and urgency, offering safety to children who are stuck in a bad place through no fault of their own. ‘There but for the grace of God…’ type thinking. 

In any case, resigning to the decision brings more heartbreak as children are shipped to the unknown, missing their families, friends and everything familiar. Once given food, clothes and blankets they’re pushed along not knowing what to expect, with the idea that they just may be fattened up to be eaten by Communists ringing in their ears. Having been a foreign exchange student, while I never worried about being eaten, I can recall the whirl of the unknown and nausea on my first night. Upon reaching their destination, children are whooshed away by their temporary families. All but Amerigo, whose patron has gone into labor with her fifth child. Instead, he’s reluctantly taken in by one of the volunteers who sees herself as more of an organizer than a parent. Conveniently, Amerigo is used to having a working mother.

Directed and co-written by Cristina Comencini, The Children’s Train premiered at the 2024 Rome Film Festival and launched on Netflix this week. It stars Christian Cervone in his first role as 7-year-old Amerigo, Barbara Ronchi as temporary Northern mother, Derna (Familia, Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara) and Serena Rossi as Amerigo’s birth mother, Antoinetta (Mina Settembre, Love and Bullets). In addition to the period story, the film presents a striking tour of 1940s Italy, beautifully shot in Pistoia and Montalcino, Tuscany, as well as Naples and Reggio Emilia.

As noted, the narrative feels disjointed. Or perhaps there are visual clues that don’t stand out to foreigners. But there seems to be quite a few leaps leaving us to interpret what’s happening. Like with Amerigo’s feelings. We’re often found trying to figure out exactly how he felt as a child, a Northern Italian, a child of war and of the ’40s. The distraction of the ‘non-period’ subtitle translations adds to the disconnect. More than once I found myself uttering, ‘There’s no way that’s what they said…’

Additionally, the closing line seems manipulative, comparing love, even making it a competition. And forcing us to feel like we need to make a choice. Perhaps that was a nod to Antoinetta’s thinking – that after everything, she still had to defend herself for her decisions. After spending 2 hours with Amerigo, it’s tough to say what he thought. Did he miss what he thought was a better life? Miss his second mother? Resent his birth giver for their circumstances? Miss learning music? Maybe all of those things…

Without giving away the ending, it feels a bit forced, tying itself up by necessity and suddenly tagging on Antoinetta’s interpretation. Even so, it’s still an interesting and insightful watch boasting wonderful cinematography.

What’s your take? Share your thoughts in the comments below. 

Check out our Ending Explained story. 

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