‘The Children's Train’ Netflix Movie Review - Cristina Comencini’s Period Drama Feels Personal, Palpable, Alive

Cristina Comencini's The Children's Train, based on Viola Ardone's novel of the same name, at its core is a mother-son story, but it's also about the clash between a child's mischievous, free-spirited world and an adult's practical way of life. A young Amerigo (Christian Cervone) wants to be a music maestro, but his mother, Antonietta (Serena Rossi), wants him to work and earn money ("I spoke to Solachianiello again. You'll be his apprentice. Learn his trade, and when you're good at it, he'll even pay you"). Antonietta might have come across as a villain if the movie had been shown from the young boy's perspective. The story, however, comes rolling out of the memory of an adult Amerigo (Stefano Accorsi) who has achieved his professional dreams. This man now understands how the grown-ups operate and how the parents look after their kids. This is why when Amerigo, as a kid, storms out of his house after learning about his new role as an apprentice, we, for a few seconds, remain with Antonietta and see her crying. The image conveys the mother's pain - it tells us that she doesn't hate her child, but she also has no idea how to lend support to his dreams, and his feelings. Antonietta thinks music is for the rich. She doesn't want Amerigo to starve on the streets. Since she didn't get much love as a child, she expresses concern through bitter words that fracture the mother-son relationship.

Amerigo cuts ties with Antonietta (he tells a stranger on a train that his mother is no longer alive) and returns to Derna (Barbara Ronchi). Amerigo met Derna through the treni della felicità initiative, which was led by the Italian Communist Party and the Unione donne Italiane, whereby 70,000 impoverished children from southern Italy were transported to northern Italy. According to The Children's Train, this transportation wasn't too easy. Some people spread rumors that the children would be put in the oven, eaten, or burned alive. Naturally, the kids cried, screamed, and begged their parents not to send them to northern Italy. More than the adults, the children get easily swayed by the other people. Once they latch on to a thought, it doesn't easily leave their mind. On the train, the kids again start screaming because they think their hands will be chopped off with a knife. Later, while living with Derna and her family, Amerigo once again feels scared and hides behind a tree because he remembers the rumors - he would be thrown inside an oven and burned alive. It's funny how kids quickly accept and reject certain theories. They have chaotic minds, and they unleash chaos around them with their playful ideas and ear-splitting screams. Amerigo and his friend color some rats white and sell them as something exotic. While an old lady pays tribute to the dead, Amerigo and his friend, play and make noise nearby.

All this frenzy is tinged with melancholy when the children bid farewell to their parents while boarding the train bound for northern Italy. Suddenly, you experience a silence, a sensation reminiscent of the quiet that follows when a dear guest, who brightened your days, leaves. The rooms feel vast and empty — you miss the person's company. This is the emotional weight you feel when witnessing the (temporary) separation between parents and kids. As Amerigo, on the train, drifts off to sleep, he finds himself in a tender dream; Antonietta is there, gently massaging his weary feet - he becomes homesick. Upon arriving at his new home, Amerigo meets his new cousins, one of whom becomes jealous of him. This jealousy stems from the affection and attention Amerigo receives from the cousin's daddy. The boy and the man are united by their passion for music. Some qualities remain common in both the adults and the kids. When Amerigo returns to Naples, Antonietta lies to him about receiving letters from his "North family" out of jealousy. She desires to keep her son close so he can support her financially. Amerigo remains unaware of the depth of Antonietta's feelings for him. He only fully grasps this reality when he returns to Naples as a maestro and finds his violin.

The Children's Train is a very sad movie. It opens with an older Amerigo receiving news about her mother's demise. After weeks of reviewing films ranging from mediocre to detritus, Comencini's drama moved me in a way I wasn't expecting. When I close my eyes, many images from the film come rushing to my mind, and the joy or the poignancy behind those images becomes fresh and affects my body from the inside. This is Comencini's film, and it's based on a book by Ardone, yet everything about it feels personal, palpable, and alive.

Final Score- [9/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times