Netflix’s Children of the Church Steps is a chilling show based on the true events at the Candelaria in 1993. The 4-part series delivers a poignant message about violence against children, specifically the homeless Black community of Brazil, through the stories of 4 children who spend their nights on the steps of the Candelaria in Rio. Children of the Church Steps’ ending episode is from the point of view of Jesus, the last of the 4 kids who escaped an orphanage together. Jesus was a kid left in the dumps with nothing but a name. The concluding few minutes of the final episode show us the unfortunate events unfolding. I guess the show leaves us with the message that sometimes all you need is faith. Only a few hours before the massacre, the kids are apprehended by the authorities for hanging out in front of the church. They’re simply basking in the sun, minding their own business, when they’re forced to leave because an important wedding is about to take place there on the same night. When Seven gets arrested, the kids all decide to help him, and Jesus and Jessica get embroiled in a fight with a police officer. Fortunately, they escape and break away from the crowd. 4 hours before the massacre, Jesus enters the church. I suppose it’s where he thinks he’ll be the safest, and he manages to hide there, watching the ceremony from inside the house of God.
Spoiler Alert
Why Does Jesus Take Mother Mary’s Crown?
After spending the whole evening hidden away in the church. Jesus then walks around the isolated church to find Mother Mary. He unlocks the cupboard she’s been kept in and steals her crown. This is because Jessica told him earlier that she really likes the crown and thinks it’s beautiful. However, I feel like there’s a little more to it than just love. Jesus also doesn’t feel connected to his mother at all, except through his name. The kid grew up knowing he was found in a dumpster, abandoned, essentially thrown away. Taking this crown from the mother of his namesake simply feels like closure for him. Jesus then gets to the bell tower of the church and decides to spend the night there because he’s locked inside anyway. Before dozing off, Jesus looks down on all his friends and makes sure they look okay. He dreams about getting on top of a train and being able to stand on it like those other kids, free from the fear of the world. The dream then switches to a fantasy where he’s with Jessica and they’re both on top of a train in a fancy new-age world. Just as they kiss, Jesus hears the commotion at the front of the church.
Are Douglas and Seven Dead?
I’m sure if we had to see Popcorn die, it would be too much for us to handle, so, fortunately, she survives the Candelaria massacre. Douglas is the first to be shot, despite how fast he can run. The men with the guns are quicker, as they’re policemen, and he’s gone in an instant. Seven tries to run with Popcorn, but her bunny bag gets left behind, so she rushes back to get it. This is when a man points a gun at her. Seven rushes back towards her and pushes the man away, but he gets shot. He sits up and hugs Popcorn, telling her to look at him alone. Their bond is so tight, it’s really quite heartbreaking to watch, especially when there was a chance he could’ve survived. Jesus watches Douglas and Seven get shot and doesn’t know what to do; however, when a man tells Jessica to get on her knees, he suddenly realizes he has the weapon of sound with him. He rings the church bell many times and as loud as he can to grab attention and get rid of the armed men. Jessica is saved, but in the last moment, before leaving, a man shoots Seven even as he’s holding onto Popcorn.
How Does Jesus Get To Popcorn And Jessica?
In Children of the Church Steps’ ending, after ringing the bell, Jesus makes his way down the bell tower and into the church, but he can’t get outside to help his friends. He then uses the crown he’s stolen and throws it through a window of the church so he can climb out of it. The same place that was meant to shelter them from evil was where they faced the worst of it. The crown gets left behind, just as the hope that Douglas and Seven had for better lives. They didn’t choose a life of crime; they were forced into it due to circumstances. It’s the system that pushed them to steal, and the system that got them killed too. Jesus finally makes it outside and rushes to Popcorn and Seven, crying because he’s lost his only family. He rushes to Douglas to see if he’s doing okay, but he’s long gone. Jessica looks at the photograph they took in front of the church and cries. Finally, as the sound of sirens fills the air, Jesus, Jessica, and Popcorn run as fast as they can away from the church.
Eight people were killed on the night of July 23rd, 1993, in front of the Candelaria. 6 were minors. All those who were convicted have since been released. Children of the Church Steps doesn’t sensationalize the events of the dreadful night. It showcases how these children were intelligent and creative and only ever hoped for something greater for themselves. I think, especially with the dream sequences, we see that each of these kids had great futures ahead of them, which were robbed of. Of course two of them lost their lives, but the three who survived also suffered trauma, which could eventually ruin them for good. But, I suppose we think positively and hope the kids end up getting what they wished for a better life.
