Shortly after World War II, when Italy’s Communist Party begins a program called Treni della Felicità, or Happiness Trains, Amerigo’s mother, Antoinetta, signs him up. The two live alone with nothing to their name, and a trip to northern Italy promises her son a life he could never have in Naples. But being separated and facing the unknown has immeasurable effects on them both. Based on the historical novel of the same name, Cristina Comencini’s film The Children’s Train follows a mother and son after their separation. The film stars Christian Cervone, Serena Rossi (Love and Bullets), Barbara Ronchi (Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara), and Stefano Accorsi (The Ignorant Fairies).