Netflix subscribers may have already been tantalized by the recently released foreign language film The Children’s Train. The movie, which serves as an adaptation of the 2019 novel of the same name, offers a harrowing story of wealth inequality, hardship and Italian life in the aftermath of World War II. After premiering at the Rome Film Festival back in October, the emotional project finally landed on streaming on Dec. 4, leaving audiences wondering if the rough and rugged tale of little Amerigo Speranza is a true story.
As it turns out, the tale of Amerigo’s journey is fictional, and crafted exclusively for the narrative of The Children’s Train. While the specific adventure is not based on any one person, the plot of the film does center on a real event in Italian history known as the Treni della felicità initiative. To fully understand the film and unpack the reality of this moment in time, we’ll first have to dive into the economics and culture of post-war Italy and uncover how the Treni della felicità may have impacted tens of thousands of young children just like Amerigo. Without any further preamble, let’s unpack the unbelievable true story of The Children’s Train.
What Was the Treni Della Felicità Initiative?
The real-life events inspiring the movie began once the Italian Communist Party took control of Italy following the nation’s collapse in World War II. As you likely already know, Italy was ruled by the National Fascist Party led by dictator Benito Mussolini during the war. This saw the nation fighting with Hitler’s Nazis against the allied forces. Needless to say, Italy’s military and economic failures brought the nation to an all-time low as the war ended in their unconditional surrender, with many impoverished families dying from starvation or exposure to the elements. In order to curtail some of these unnecessary deaths and reform their nation, the Communist Party was forced to take extreme measures, including rounding up impoverished children in Italy’s poorest regions and shipping them North to be sponsored by wealthier families via train.
On one hand, this initiative (which literally translates to “trains of happiness”) was a massive success, as it helped to save the lives of tens of thousands of adolescents. On the other hand, the kids were ripped from their loving mothers and unceremoniously placed in the care of unvetted families who may or may not have been happy about their new arrivals. Historically speaking, Southern Italy has always been home to the most economically unstable citizens, meaning regions such as Avellino, Milan and Naples were the sites of the most focus. By the time the Treni della felicità operations concluded in 1952, over 70,000 Italian children were sent North via train, with some eventually returning home once the country’s economy recovered. Though the journey was truly harrowing for most occupants of the trains, the initiative was universally hailed by human rights groups around the globe.
How Much of ‘The Children’s Train’ Is Real?
As stated, the inspiring tale of Amerigo Speranza is a fictional story developed for 2019’s The Children’s Train book, and later adapted for the screen. Still, the character’s journey serves as a representation for many young boys who made the pilgrimage up North during the era of post-war poverty in Italy. Before departing from his home, we see his mother Antonietta is crestfallen about parting ways with him, though she ultimately accepts that sending her son away is necessary for him to have a better life. Once Amerigo boards the train, he swells with a plethora of conflicting emotions, ultimately culminating in an overall anxiety about arriving at his new home up North.
When he does meet his host family, Amerigo is conflicted. The journey brings him new opportunities he never could have dreamed of back in Naples, opening up a wealth of possibilities for his future. On the other hand, he knows that he may never see his mother again, and must reconcile his loss with an overall feeling of displacement, especially as his Southern upbringing clashes with the native children of the North. Even though the boy’s story isn’t based on any one person, The Children’s Train does an excellent job of bringing this historical narrative to life and showcasing all angles of the harrowing moment in humanity for a whole new generation of viewers.
