'The Children’s Train' Ending Explained And Full Story: Why Does Amerigo Go Back To Derna?

There are plenty of World War Two films that discuss the aftermath of the ordeal and how people in Europe were affected. The children were vulnerable as there was a shortage of jobs and food post-1945 when the whole continent was submerged in the Cold War. The Children’s Train, a Netflix Italy Original film, is based on the book of the same name by Viola Ardone. The story focuses on the life of a young boy and his mother who are battling poverty in Naples, Italy, post the Second World War.

Spoilers Ahead

When did Amerigo begin to reminisce about his childhood?

The Children’s Train begins with the adult Amerigo heading to the concert hall for his performance. Amerigo was a violinist, and on reaching the venue, he received a phone call that let him know that his mother had passed away. Amerigo was numb, and his colleague offered to cancel the concert, but he chose to go ahead. To his surprise, as he was performing, he began to remember the songs sung by his mother and could see his childhood playing out in front of him. 

Were Amerigo and his mother Antonietta poor?

The movie moves to Naples in Italy in 1944, where Amerigo and his mother were in the city and barely survived the Nazi bombings. A year later, after the war was over, southern Italy was facing rampant poverty, and the children were running around, as there were no schools for them anymore. Food was also barely available, and the mothers were trying hard to find work to feed themselves and the kids. Amerigo’s mother, Antonietta, stated her husband was in America trying to set up a life, and she was waiting for him to come back. In Naples she was barely scraping by, selling coffee and cigarettes (For Amerigo it looked like cigarettes, but by the looks of it, she was illegally selling cannabis). She also asked her son to gather cloth rags from people as a way to save money on buying clothes. 

Antonietta was one of the many mothers who wanted her son to be a part of the program started by the communist party in Italy. Children would be sent to fairly financially well-off families in the northern part of Italy to avoid facing the harsh winter in the southern part of the country. The whole point was to save the kids from being affected by famines since Naples was severely destroyed after the bombings. Amerigo was not keen on joining this program, as there were plenty of rumors stating that the kids would be sent to Siberia of communist Russia. There was also a rumor about the children losing their limbs as they were considered a burden by the government. There were many Catholic, God-fearing women who were not keen on letting their children be a part of this program. Antonietta was adamant though, and she registered Amerigo’s name.

Amerigo and Antonietta had a difficult relationship, as the latter spent most of her time accusing her child of being a burden. Even though she took care of him, Amerigo was not a fan of how his mother was handling things. Amerigo was asked to work from a young age, and his studies were now put on hold as his mother wanted him to be an extra hand that would help her bring in some extra cash. She wanted him to survive the winter, and that was the reason behind her enrolling him in the communist party’s program.

Where was Amerigo sent on the train?

Amerigo was not on board with his mother’s plan to send him off to the northern part of Italy. He was forced to agree since he was a child. He also hoped his mother was right about the program and he would survive the entire winter ordeal. Many mothers at the station were not keen on sending the children away as they were believing the rumors to be true. Chaos ensued, but one of the communist leaders vowed that she, just like other mothers in the town, wanted the children to remain safe and healthy, especially with the onset of winter. She promised the children would be with good families who would give them food, shelter, and clothing. Amerigo got into the train, and his mother offered him an apple to eat for the journey. He was joined by Tomassi and other friends from the neighborhood who were still believing there was something off about this program. Amerigo was the only one who was trying to make them believe there were probably good things awaiting them.

Did Amerigo get along with Derna?

On reaching Bologna, Amerigo was taken in by Derna, a single woman who worked with the communist party. Derma initially was not sure if she was ready to take care of an eight-year-old boy. Amerigo was at an age where he was conscious of what was happening around him. He knew he was now living with Derna and her brother’s family. Derna’s brother Alcide, a carpenter by profession, gave Amerigo a warm welcome and introduced him to his sons Revo and Lutio. 

Luito and Amerigo were of the same age, and the former was uncomfortable having this new boy around. Lutio showcased bullying tendencies, but he always backed Amerigo when other classmates made fun of his poor background. Lutio witnessed Alcide grow impressed with Amerigo’s knowledge and interest in classical music. Alcide was a violinist, but he could not pursue his passion because he wanted to bring in money for his family. Lutio was jealous of the fact that his father was spending more time with Amerigo than him. 

Derna and Amerigo were taking their own time to get comfortable with each other. Slowly, she  was also getting the hang of motherhood as she and Amerigo began to converse. Derna became like a mother figure, which he’d never experienced before since Antonietta was always bitter. Amerigo had some minor PTSD because of his tense childhood, but Derna comforted him and made him feel like the child of her house. 

Who gifted Amerigo a violin?

Amerigo celebrated his birthday with Derna and her family. By this time he had become a member of their family, and they treated him like one, especially Alcide. Alcide, who knew Amerigo had a knack for music, gifted him a handcrafted violin as a birthday gift. Since Alcide was a carpenter, he made the musical instrument with his own hands and had Amerigo’s name embossed in the case. This was to make the boy feel special and let him know it only belonged to him. Amerigo also received a letter from his mother, who stated only basic things that were happening around her in Naples.

Was Amerigo forced to go back?

Amerigo and his other friends who had come to Bologna with him knew as soon as winter was over, they would go back to Naples, back to their biological families. Amerigo had gotten fond of a new girl named Rossana who was also brought to the northern part of Italy as a part of the communist party program to save the children. Rossana, for the longest time, was not happy, and she was vocal about the fact that she felt everyone was pitying her, which all of them denied. Amerigo had this question for Derna as well, and she hugged him to let him know he was a part of her family.

Amerigo was also a witness to Derna’s new boyfriend slapping her, and her doing nothing in retaliation. He asked her to stand up for herself, just like his mother, Antonietta, used to. It was also the first time Derna discussed her first love, Giacomo, a passionate communist leader who was brutally killed by the fascist state. Derna felt very vulnerable, and she hugged Amerigo, and both felt a strong mother and son bond forming between them after this conversation. Amerigo, however, was aware he would have to go back, but this time he was not keen on leaving Derna’s home. Derna made him a sandwich for his journey back home, and Amerigo was promised she would write to him. Derna broke down as the train with Amerigo and his friends left for Naples.

Was Amerigo happy about reuniting with his mother?

Amerigo, on arriving back in Naples, went back to living with his mother. There was clearly a disconnect between the mother and the son. As Amerigo began to talk about the food given by Derna, Antonietta was not listening to him. Amerigo also showed off his violin, and an angry Antonietta took it away, claiming playing a musical instrument was an expensive hobby. Amerigo sensed that his mother was jealous of the fact that he was praising the host’s family. Subconsciously she felt she made a mistake by sending him away. Instead of admitting to her mistake, she did not think twice before snapping at him over his praise for the life he led in Bologna. 

Amerigo and his mother had a spat on the day he returned, and he began to miss Derna and Bologna all the more. He also felt his mother never knew how to be a parent, as she was always pushing him to work and never conversing with him. Even when he asked about any communication from Derna, Antonietta let him know there was none and added that they must have forgotten him. This was Antonietta’s way of letting him know that their love was superficial, and he was likely going to be with his mother for the rest of his life. Antonietta, instead of sending him to school, forced him to work as a shoemaker’s apprentice in the hope he would bring in some money. Since both of them were poor, the only conversation was about money, and Antonietta never bothered to ask what her son wanted. 

Why does Amerigo go back to Derna?

After his job at the shoemaker, he was mesmerized by the music school he walked into. As advised by Alcide, Amerigo wanted to continue playing the violin. He had no ambition, but he was keen on working on his love for music and pursued it by becoming a violinist. Amerigo went back home but could not find his violin, which his mother had placed below their bed. The boy was angry, and he wanted to ask his mother about what she did to the instrument that had been made for him. He ran into the communist party office, where he was told about the letters and care packages he received from Derna, which neither he nor his mother had showed up to pick up. 

Amerigo was now aware this was his mother’s doing as she deliberately kept him from communicating with Derna. Antonietta was most likely jealous of Derna for the bond she had with her son, which she never had. Derna had not given birth to him, but being with her was the first time Amerigo felt like he had a mother figure who tried to understand what was going on in his mind. Unlike Antonietta, who constantly berated Amerigo and never tried to have an emotional bond with him. Antonietta also might have wanted her son around to financially provide for her, as he is a boy. Since her husband was away, or so she claimed, Amerigo was the man who was supposed to provide for her. 

An angry Amerigo confronted his mother with the letters in his hand. He also asked about his violin, to which she arrogantly confessed that she’d pawned it for some extra money. Amerigo’s anger at this point was beyond any measure, and he realized his bond with Antonietta was now over. She neither apologized for this move nor tried to tell him that the violin as an instrument provided more money for food than his talent would ever do. This move by Antonietta proved that she never understood her son or tried to find out what he desired from life. Since she was not financially stable, she dumped all of the responsibilities on him and chose her life over his. Instead of conversing with him about their struggles, she dumped all the trauma she went through on him, hoping he would get used to it just like she did. 

Antonietta was the exact opposite of Derna. Both came from not-so-rich backgrounds, yet both had different ideas of what motherhood was. Amerigo could sense that, and he decided to make a decision that would change his and Antonietta’s life forever. Amerigo left his home in the middle of the night and got into a train that was headed to Bologna. In the train, he mentioned to a fellow passenger that his mother was dead and he was headed to Northern Italy to meet his aunt. It must have taken a lot of courage for him to utter these words since she sold his instrument. With that she possibly killed his dream of becoming a musician. Amerigo was not mature enough to make that decision, but he wanted to get out of that life before it consumed him. Since Derna was a way out for him, he chose to take that path. Derna was shocked to see Amerigo walking towards her home and admitted to having used the address mentioned on the letters she sent. Derna was touched by his move, and unlike Antonietta, she was sober and didn’t act selfish. Derna had never had a child of her own, and with Amerigo, she could raise him as if he was.

The Children’s Train ended with Antonietta writing a letter to him claiming that she was okay with him being raised by Derna. She also claimed she could have brought him back, but she knew her son wouldn’t want to return to Naples if he was forced. This probably meant that Antonietta letting him go, and not seeking him was her sign of love. This seems preposterous, as Antonietta was never kind to her son. The only time he was happy around his biological mother was when she sang lullabies. The mother’s sacrifice for the sake of her son and declaring it seems narcissistic in the current scenario. Derna was happy to keep him and raise him as her own flesh and blood. The older Amerigo came back to Naples for Antonietta’s funeral and went to the place she lived till her death. Antonietta had not moved away from that small, dilapidated home till the end, and Amerigo was overwhelmed by the memories of his childhood with his mother. He was feeling numb and was not sure how to process the news. He also found the violin she had pawned and a receipt inside. It proved that she had repaid the amount she got by pawning the instrument, which made Amerigo cry out in agony. His mother may have got it back soon after he left as a way of getting rid of the guilt she was in. Antonietta may have thought her action forced her son to leave, and Amerigo getting it back on the day of her funeral brought closure to the lifelong silent rift both mother and son had. 

In The Children’s Train’s prologue there was also footage and photographs of the real program started by the Italian government right after the second world war to save the children from dying of hunger. It was fascinating to watch the amount of families that came forward from around the county to help children. As per this film, the train played a crucial role in changing the life of a boy. 

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