Remi, Nobody's Boy (2018)

Remi, Nobody's Boy (2018) Full Recap

On a stormy night at an orphanage, a young boy looks scared and leaves his room to head to the kitchen. When he gets there, he opens the fridge and sees the leftover cake inside. As the boy starts eating a part of it, an old man named Remi suddenly appears behind him. The boy looks scared and screams, but Remi just seems disappointed at him for eating the cake without permission.

Remi eventually takes the boy to sit with him in the living room. There, Remi notices that the boy is scared of the storm, and he says he was just like that when he was little. He then asks if the boy likes singing because that's what calmed him down on stormy nights when he was a kid. The boy asks what Remi used to sing, and he says it was a nursery rhyme.

He says he didn't initially know the origin of the song, and it was almost like he'd always had it in his head. He then tells the story of when he used to live in France as a kid. He lived on a farm with his mom and was in charge of caring for the family's cow, Rousette. After singing the nursery rhyme several times to calm Rousette down, they head home together to meet his mom, Mama Barberin.

On stormy nights, Mama Barberin also enjoys listening to the nursery rhyme, and she often tells Remi to sing it to calm her down. Interestingly, Remi has never met his dad, Jerome Barberin, who has been working in Paris for many years. One day, Mama Barberin receives a letter from her husband, informing her about a terrible accident on the worksite. Mama Barberin cannot read, so she takes the letter to an educated priest, who reads it to her.

In the letter, her husband mentions that the accident was so bad that he'd probably never be able to work as a stonecutter. He adds that he believes he'd still be able to obtain a handsome indemnity, and that he needs his wife to send four hundred francs to him so he can pay a lawyer who will defend him in court. He says he believes their savings should be enough to cover the cost, and Mama Barberin quickly heads home to check how much she has. Unfortunately, the money she has been saving isn't enough, and this makes her sad.

Since she still has to help her husband, she decides to sell Rousette to make some extra money. Remi isn't happy about this because Rousette is like his best friend, but there's nothing he can do to stop the sale. Mama Barberin eventually sells the cow to her neighbor, and Remi always sneaks over there to check up on his friend. One day, while he's with Rousette, he sings his nursery rhyme to calm her down.

Almost immediately, a strange man named Vitalis appears behind him. Remi doesn't know who he is, and as he looks scared, he runs away. When he gets back to the house, he tries to tell his mom what he saw, but she informs him that his dad is back. Remi looks shocked to see Jerome, who smiles and says he can now see why his wife struggled to pay his lawyer.

Mama Barberin tells him not to say that, but Jerome insists that he can't believe she really kept the baby with her after all these years. Remi looks scared and calls Mama Barberin his mom, but Jerome seems pissed and tells him to stop calling her that. Mama Barberin eventually tells Remi to excuse them, and as he heads to his room, he hears them arguing about the decision to keep him. Mama Barberin says she never hid anything from her husband, and that Jerome was the one who told her to keep Remi until his parents come looking for him.

Jerome says it was years ago, and she should've realized that no one was coming for Remi. Remi looks sad when he hears this, and he realizes that he's not their son. Mama Barberin tells her husband that she couldn't have taken Remi to the orphanage, but he says it would've been the easy choice. As they continue arguing, Remi covers his ears and looks scared.

Shortly after, Mama Barberin comes over to meet him. She then tells him about how Jerome found him in front of a church about ten years ago. Jerome noticed that the baby had a luxurious blanket, and instead of taking him to the orphanage, he decided to bring him home to his wife, with the hope that Remi's rich parents would come looking for him. Mama Barberin was happy to take him in, but Jerome warned her not to get too attached because they'd have to return the baby one day.

Mama Barberin then gives Remi the designer clothes he was abandoned with that day. As Remi takes a look at the clothes, he notices that the label on the blanket has been removed. Remi doesn't care much about this, and he begs Mama Barberin not to let Jerome take him to the orphanage. She says she won't let him do that, and Remi hugs her.

The next day, Mama Barberin wakes Remi up and mentions that Jerome thinks they'll be able to get money from the mayor for taking care of him all these years. Remi thinks the mayor might refuse, but Jerome says they have the law on their side. Remi looks happy about this and hugs Mama Barberin. Shortly after, he leaves the house with Jerome, and they head toward the town hall.

On the way, Remi suggests buying Rousette back if they receive a lot of money from the mayor. Jerome stays silent, and as he walks past the town hall, Remi looks confused and asks if they aren't going in. Jerome says they aren't, and that he's taking Remi to the orphanage because he cannot afford to take care of him any longer. He adds that he lied to his wife so that she'd let him leave with Remi.

Remi looks disappointed and pushes Jerome to the ground so he can escape. Jerome quickly begs the people in the area to go after Remi, and they do this. Remi eventually runs into a nearby bar, and as he hides under a table, a black dog named Capi barks at him. Remi looks scared and leaves his hiding spot, only to be grabbed by Jerome.

Interestingly, Vitalis is at the bar, and he asks what Remi did to get everyone chasing him. Remi recognizes Vitalis and looks shocked, but he doesn't say anything. Jerome mentions that Remi doesn't want to go to the orphanage, even though that's where he belongs. Vitalis then invites Jerome to sit with him, and he offers to rent Remi for a year.

Jerome looks confused and asks who Vitalis is. Vitalis introduces himself as a street performer who trains animals. He also shows Jerome his monkey, Lovely Heart, and his dog, Capi. Jerome tells Vitalis to improve his offer, but he refuses to do this. Since he can still manage the money Vitalis is paying, Jerome finalizes the deal.

Following this, Vitalis ties a whip to Remi's wrist and drags him out of the bar. They walk past Jerome's house, and Remi calls Mama Barberin to help him. She looks surprised to see him with a stranger, and as she looks at her husband, she realizes that he gave Remi up to someone else. She looks unhappy and tries to run after Remi but Jerome stops her.

Back in the present day, the young boy at Remi’s orphanage looks sad as he hears Remi's story. Some other kids also come to the living room looking sad, and Remi realizes that they had been listening to his story. He says it's fine, and that they can all come over to listen to him. The young boy then asks if Remi ever escaped, and he says he tried to do that on his first night with Vitalis.

That night, while Vitalis is sleeping, Remi frees himself and tries to leave the small shed they're staying in, but he notices that Capi is outside the door. As he looks disappointed, Vitalis suddenly wakes up, and Remi looks scared. Vitalis then warns Remi not to consider going into the woods at night because it's dangerous. As Remi sees him with a whip, he looks scared, but Vitalis says he would never beat him.

He adds that he's only trying to help Remi because he would've been sent to an orphanage. Remi looks relieved, and Vitalis tells him to get some rest. As Remi sits on the ground, he looks at the luxurious blanket Mama Barberin gave him earlier, and he looks sad when he remembers that he was abandoned as a child. Suddenly, Capi comes inside to play with Remi, and he looks happy.

The next day, Vitalis takes Remi to buy new clothes and a boot. After a while, Remi asks why Vitalis is spending a lot of money on him, even though his animals don't seem to be eating well. He says that Vitalis gave the Barberins three silver coins and has paid more money for the clothes and boots. Vitalis then admits that he has spent most of his savings on Remi.

He says he wouldn't have done that if he didn't think Remi was special. Remi looks confused, but Vitalis says he heard him singing the other day in the barn. He adds that he hired Remi to sing. Remi looks worried and says he can't sing in front of a crowd because they'd mock him. Vitalis doesn't think so, and he mentions that if Remi sings the way he sang to the cow the other day, people will love him.

As Remi still looks concerned, Vitalis gets ready to perform on the streets, and he tells Remi to observe, listen, and do whatever he says at the right time. Vitalis then entertains the crowd with some performances by his animals. After this, he calls Remi's name and tells him to sing. Everyone applauds Remi, and he stands in the middle of the crowd.

As he looks nervous, he tries to run away but ends up falling to the ground. Vitalis quickly saves the show by playing it down as nothing serious, and everyone claps for Remi again. When they leave the town square, Remi starts returning the things Vitalis got for him. Vitalis doesn't understand this, but Remi says he's returning Vitalis’ presents because he can't sing.

Vitalis says Remi only had stage fright, and it's pretty normal. Remi doesn't believe this, but Vitalis says he won't let Remi's fear stop him from showing his talent. Remi says he has no talent, and that Vitalis is just a dog trainer. Vitalis says he knows just about enough to figure out that Remi has a wonderful talent.

Remi still refuses to sing, and he says that Vitalis cannot force him to do it. Vitalis says he'd have to take Remi back to the orphanage in that case, and this makes him sad. As he sits on the ground, Vitalis sends Capi to give him a newspaper article showing a picture of when he was a violinist. Remi looks shocked and heads over to ask Vitalis if he's really the violinist in the picture.

Vitalis says it's him, and since Remi cannot read, he explains that the article was written after he left home with his wife and son to play before Italy's highest society. He says he was a violinist a long time ago, and that's why he can recognize when someone has a great voice. He also offers to teach Remi how to read and write so he can send a letter to his mom. He says he wants Remi to take his singing seriously, and that if he makes enough money, he can send some to his mom.

This makes Remi happy, and after a few weeks, he gets better at reading and writing. Vitalis also helps him write a letter to Mama Barberin to inform her that he's doing well, and that Vitalis is taking good care of him. Days later, Vitalis helps Remi write down the notes for his nursery rhyme. He then tells Remi to keep it close to himself always.

That night, while Vitalis is sleeping, Remi hears him calling the names Enzo and Angelina. He looks surprised and wonders if Vitalis is having a bad dream. The next morning, Remi asks about the names and if they're for Vitalis’ wife and son. He asks if they're the reason he stopped being a violinist, but Vitalis just looks sad.

Remi then says he didn't mean to bother his master, but Vitalis says that some names awaken old sorrows. Remi says he won't talk about the names again, and he asks Vitalis about their plan for the day. Vitalis says it's time for Remi's last exercise, and that he has to sing with blindfolds on. As Remi starts singing, he doesn't realize that there are people watching him.

Vitalis eventually takes off the blindfold, and Remi feels more confident singing in front of people. Vitalis starts taking him to shows, and at an event for kids, Remi entertains the guests. The kids at the party look pleased, and as someone calls them to come and play with their kites, Remi tries to join them, but a butler stops him. Vitalis eventually calls Remi to come and work with him so that he won't feel intimidated.

Just then, Remi meets a girl named Lise, who laments that she can't play with the other kids even if she wanted to. Remi doesn't understand this, but Lise suddenly shows him that she can't walk. Remi says he didn't know she was handicapped, and this makes Lise emotional. Remi looks worried and immediately consoles her, but she laughs at him and says she was only messing with him.

As they continue talking, Vitalis tries to separate them so that no one will embarrass Remi, but Lise's mom begs him to leave them because she has never seen her daughter look so happy in a long time. After a while, Remi and Vitalis leave the boat where the party was held, but they soon get approached by police officers who accuse them of performing on the streets without authorization. Vitalis says he has no idea what they’re talking about, but the cops don't seem to care much because they see street performers as beggars. As they're about to seize Vitalis' animals, Remi tries to stop them, but a cop hits him aggressively.

The cop also knocks down Capi, and Vitalis tries to help Remi and his animals. Luckily, Remi is able to escape, but Vitalis is arrested. Since he has nowhere else to go, Remi heads back to meet Lise's mom and ask for her help. Following this, Vitalis’ charges are dropped, but the judge refuses to let him go because the cops have discovered that he's using a fake identity.

Remi looks surprised, and as Vitalis is being taken to jail, he asks if Vitalis’ new identity has anything to do with Enzo and Angelina. Vitalis says it does, and that he's responsible for the death of his wife and son because he didn't care much about them, and he only wanted to be famous. He then narrates how his wife and son died in a fire at his house, and he wasn't able to save them. Remi feels sorry for Vitalis and says he'll be waiting for him to be released in two months.

After this, Vitalis is taken to jail and locked up with a cellmate who has pneumonia. Meanwhile, Remi stays with Lise and her mom. One day, Lise enters Remi's room and says she has missed him. Remi says she shouldn't be in his room, but she just moves around and sees the baby blanket.

As she picks it up and asks what he's doing with it, he quickly snatches it from her hand. Lise looks sad, and Remi says sorry for what he did. He then explains the story behind the blanket, and they soon become good friends, who do things together. After two months, Vitalis gets released, and Remi looks really happy to see him.

Lise's mom doesn't look pleased, and she tells Vitalis that she wants Remi to stay with her because he has completely transformed Lise. She adds that Lise will soon undergo a delicate surgery, and she would like Remi to be by her side. Vitalis asks if that's all she wants, but Lise's mom says she would like Remi to stay with her permanently. She says she would help him get the proper education to make him Lise's personal butler.

Vitalis asks about Remi's singing, but Lise's mom doesn't think it's important. Vitalis then says that even though the life Lise's mom wants to offer Remi is more comfortable and less risky, his own path will build Remi's character. He adds that Remi is very talented, and he's trying to make him a successful singer who would come back one day to ask for Lise's hand in marriage with pride. Lise's mom still doesn't believe in Remi's talent, and Vitalis says he'll let Remi decide the life he wants.

After thinking about it, Remi decides to leave with Vitalis, and they continue their journey. Days later, Vitalis gets sick and happens to be suffering from pneumonia, but he hides it from Remi. His symptoms eventually worsen, and as Remi tries to understand what's going on, they're surrounded by wolves. Luckily, Remi, Vitalis, and the animals are able to escape and find a cabin to hide for the night.

The next morning, they discover that Lovely Heart is now sick, and they head toward the nearest town to get help. Elsewhere, Lise's mom calls her to help with a baby wrap she's making for Lise's little cousin. Lise notices that the blanket is similar to Remi's, but her mom says she's probably mistaken because the model is from one of the most famous designers in London. As she's about to mention that she's sure Remi can't afford it, Lise mentions that Remi was adopted.

Lise's mom looks shocked, and Lise tells her everything Remi told her. Meanwhile, Remi and Vitalis find a nearby hotel to stay in, and they also get a doctor to look at Lovely Heart. The doctor says that Lovely Heart has pneumonia, and that his condition is worsening. He also notices that Vitalis is coughing, and he suspects that Vitalis also has pneumonia.

Vitalis says he knows, but that he's sure he can fight it. After a while, Remi asks Vitalis how they'll continue to pay for their room. Vitalis says he'll entertain the guests at the hotel to see how much he can make. Remi says they don't usually make a lot of money from their performances, but Vitalis says he'll play the violin.

That night, he entertains the guests, who look impressed with him. After Vitalis’ performance, Remi realizes that they still didn't make enough money. Suddenly, a lady shows up to praise Vitalis for his performance. She also mentions that she knows who he is, and she has always been a fan since she saw him perform when she was a kid.

Vitalis says he's not the same person, but the lady still gives him a gold coin because she knows that he's lying. Remi looks happy about this, and as he runs to the room to inform Lovely Heart that they now have enough money for his treatment, he notices that the monkey is dead. This leaves him devastated, and Vitalis also looks sad. After they bury Lovely Heart, Remi sends a letter to Lise.

She eventually sends one back, and the hotel attendant delivers it to Remi. Elsewhere, the doctor comes over to see Vitalis again, and after a few tests, he mentions that Vitalis’ condition is getting worse. He adds that if Vitalis doesn't accept treatment immediately, he might not survive for long. Vitalis still believes he can fight the sickness, and as he heads to the reception, he sees Remi holding the letter he just got from Lise.

Remi looks really happy and gives Vitalis the letter so he can also read it. It then turns out that after Lise told her mom about Remi, she sent a letter to all her friends. After a few weeks, they got a response from a barrister named James Milligan, who knows Remi's real parents. Vitalis looks happy for Remi and suggests going to London immediately.

When they get to James’ office, he takes his time to look at the blanket to confirm that it's a real one. Remi and Vitalis seem particularly worried that there are cops in the office, but James mentions that it's only a precaution because many people have tried to scam Remi's real family in the past. After James confirms that Remi is the real baby that was kidnapped years ago, he takes him to meet his parents, Mr and Mrs Driscoll, who live in a dilapidated house. Remi and Vitalis look confused, but Remi's mom quickly hugs him and calls him Paul.

Vitalis says Remi would like to keep his old name, and his parents don't complain about this. While they're having dinner together, Mr Driscoll narrates how Remi was kidnapped by a woman who loved him and wasn't happy that he didn't like her back. Vitalis thinks it's a weird story, and Remi also sees his brother looking at him strangely. After Remi is taken to his room, he looks sad, and Vitalis asks if he's okay.

Remi says he is, and Vitalis mentions that he won't leave London too soon in case Remi needs him. Remi then tells Vitalis to go back to the hotel to see the doctor so he can be cured. After they hug each other, Vitalis leaves the house and tells Remi not to forget to always keep the nursery rhyme notes close to him because that's his true identity. He then says goodbye, and James pays him for bringing Remi back.

Later that night, Remi is unable to sleep because the roof in his room is leaking. As he walks around, he sees some stolen objects inside a nearby room. He looks confused, but Mrs Driscoll shows up and says he has found her treasure chest. As she calls him Peter, Remi remembers that she called him Paul earlier.

He then realizes that she's not his real mom, but as he tries to run away, Mr Driscoll stops him. Mrs Driscoll then tells her husband to kill Remi already because James and the cops are still waiting outside. As Mr Driscoll is about to do this, Vitalis barges into the house and knocks down the couple's real son. He then attacks Mr Driscoll and asks why he wants to kill Remi.

Mr Driscoll then confesses that James is behind the whole thing. He says that James is Remi's real uncle, who was supposed to inherit Remi's late father's fortune. However, his plan didn't work out because Remi's mother got pregnant. When she delivered the baby, James paid Mr Driscoll to kidnap and kill the baby.

Mr Driscoll says he couldn't do it, and that's why he dropped the baby off in front of a church in France. He also mentions that he removed the label on the blanket so that no one would know where the baby came from. Vitalis then asks about Remi's family, and Mr Driscoll tells him where Remi’s real mother lives. Following this.

Vitalis takes Remi out of the house and heads toward the address. Unfortunately, they get caught up in a snow storm, and Remi passes out. Vitalis still carries him toward a nearby house, but when they get there, he realizes that they just arrived at the wrong place. Despite this, Vitalis keeps Remi warm and tells him to sing his nursery rhyme.

Remi, Nobody's Boy (2018) Ending Explained

As Remi sings it, Vitalis is unable to breathe well, and he dies while holding Remi. Later that night, Remi notices that Vitalis is unconscious, and he looks devastated just as two men find him inside the shed. The next morning, Remi wakes up in a beautiful room and sees a woman named Mrs Milligan, who asks how he's doing. Remi says he's okay, and he asks about his master.

Mrs Milligan informs him that Vitalis is dead, and he looks devastated as he hugs Capi. Mrs Milligan eventually leaves the room and goes to meet James, who says that the boy has to come with him because he's a fraud. Mrs Milligan says Remi is still hurt because he just lost someone close to him, but James seems pissed and complains that she's too soft. Mrs Milligan asks why he's so upset, and he says he's just looking out for her.

Mrs Milligan then mentions that she'll let him take Remi away when he gets better. After James leaves, Mrs Milligan goes to meet her maid, who is sorting Remi's old clothes. She also shows Mrs Milligan the note she saw in his pocket, and as she looks at it, she feels overwhelmed and passes out. Shortly after, Remi wakes up from a nap and sees the maid inside the room.

The maid seems friendly and says that Mrs Milligan wants to see him. After she takes him to a nearby room, he sees the toys on the table and looks amazed. Suddenly, Mrs Milligan appears behind him and says that they're currently in her son's room. She says it's the one he should've had, and that she reorganizes and redecorates it every year with new furniture and toys, which she believes her son would've liked.

She says it's almost eleven years since she last saw him, and she remembers how she used to rock him to sleep with a cradle song she learned from her mom. She adds that she thought she was the only one who remembered it until she saw the note in Remi's pocket. Remi then realizes that she's his mom, and she hugs him while calling him her son. After a while, James gets arrested for his part in kidnapping Remi, and Remi also ensures that Vitalis gets a proper burial.

Shortly after, he visits Mama Barberin and buys back Rousette for her. Jerome also looks surprised to see Remi, and he doesn't know what to say. In the present day, Remi tells the kids about how Mama Barberin moved to London to stay with him after her husband died. He says she also helped him take care of the first kids who came to the orphanage.

After this, he tells the kids to go to bed, and they do just this. As he also heads to his room, he looks at his pictures and awards. Interestingly, it turns out that Remi fulfilled his potential as a singer and was very successful just like Vitalis predicted. Remi then heads to his room and sits next to his sleeping wife, who happens to be Lise.

After Jerome finds an abandoned baby boy outside a church, he takes him home to his wife, with the hope that the baby’s rich parents will eventually come for him. When no one does, Jerome regrets his decision and decides to send Remi to an orphanage. Before that can happen, a traveling artist named Vitalis discovers Remi’s singing talent and decides to rent him for a year. Even though Remi doesn’t trust Vitalis at first, they form a great bond, and the artist eventually helps him locate his real mom.