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The “Trains of Happiness,” or Treni della Felicità, emerged as a moving symbol of postwar perseverance in Italy. The Italian Communist Party launched this effort in the late 1940s to rescue children from the devastation of a war-torn society.

Over 70,000 children from impoverished Southern Italy were given the chance for a better life in the more opulent North due to the program’s humanitarian and practical goals. It’s a survival story with Dickensian overtones, where the promise of warmth, food, and education is called like a siren song. However, irony abounds; many families were originally dubious, believing their children might be pawns in a political game or worse.

The film depicts a civilization dealing with the memories of war against the backdrop of Naples in 1946. Poverty and disease are pervasive, casting long shadows over the lives of its residents. The significance of this milieu cannot be emphasized; it captures...

The Children’s Train is a one-of-a-kind story set in Italy post the Second World War. The entirety of Europe was in shambles, and Italy was one of the many countries that was facing rampant poverty as there was a lack of jobs and food in several parts of the country. Southern Italy was massively hit by these difficulties, and it’s this scenario The Children’s Train is based on. The children and their mothers play a major role in the film. These are the characters that make the film interesting and emotional at the same time.

Spoilers Ahead

Amerigo

Christian Cervone, the child actor, portrays the role of an eight-year-old Amerigo, who was born in Naples to Antoinette. From childhood he and his mother have had a complicated relationship. He is aware his father is in America seeking fortune while Amerigo and his mother are barely scraping by because of...

Set in 1940s Italy, “The Children’s Train” (Original title: Il treno dei bambini) is a tragic tearjerker now streaming on Netflix. Co-written by director Cristina Comencini, the film is based on Viola Ardone’s eponymous book. The story follows seven-year-old Amerigo, a boy from a struggling family in war-torn Naples, navigating life amidst poverty and conflict. Subsequently, his single mother makes a difficult decision to send him to the greener pastures in the North to protect his life. Christian Cervone stars as the young kid while Serena Rossi plays his mother. Barbara Ronchi plays the woman whose family adopts him.

Spoilers Ahead

The Children’s Train Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:

Set in the 1940s, Cristina Comencini’s “The Children’s Train” (Il treno dei bambini) follows a young boy from Naples being sent to the Northern part of the country to lead a better life, growing up to be an accomplished musician.

The tenderness of a children’s tale often comes from the point of view of the film you’re watching. If one writes from the eyes of the adults who push the narrative, it never truly hits the mark in terms of sincerity when it is a “kid’s film.” The Children’s Train makes Amerigo the narrator, and the whole movie is presented from his point of view. This makes the movie hauntingly beautiful. This is a tale of war-torn families finding love and hope in a time of sorrow as a young boy travels from Naples to the north of Italy to recuperate and return to his home in springtime. While overtly this is a story about moving away from poverty and trying to make a life for oneself, The Children’s Train is truly impactful because of the human connections made in the film. What truly stands out about...

Netflix presented its first international showcase yesterday with a look at what is coming down down the pike. Below is a preview of what’s on deck for feature films. Of note, was the title announcement and treatment of the Japanese movie Bullet Train Explosion. Also made a official was Troll 2, the sequel to the streamer’s most watched non-English language film from Norway. Roar Uthaug returns to the director’s chair.

Also of note, the streamer dated the Mexican movie Los Dos Hemisferios de Lucca from Marina Chenillo for Jan. 31 next year.

Not made official by the streamer was a part two to their widely watched shark movie of 102.3M viewers, Under Paris, from director Xavier Gens and starring Oscar nominated The Artist actress, Bérénice Bejo.

Related: Shah Rukh Khan & Netflix Ready Series Set In Bollywood Film Industry

Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria announced the slate at...