Mihaileanu: Fairy tales are not invented--this one came from the tradition of Jewish storytellers like Shalom Aliecham, the biggest storyteller the Jewish people had. The style is sort of a mixture between Jewish theatrical and musical traditions and Warner Brothers cartoons. It is modern, to speak to the younger generation, but without betraying the memory and way of life of older people as well.

THC: In one of the more solemn moments of the movie, the villagers are fighting amongst themselves, questioning whether or not God exists. How does this serious episode fit in with the humor of the rest of the movie, and what are the larger implications of their questioning of their faith?

Mihaileanu: I think this fits in with the rest of the movie. Ultimately, the story is about all human beings. I don't know if I'm religious and I don't have all the answers. But having questions, as the Jewish people say, is half the answer. The question is, are we human beings or not? Are we barbarians, or do we truly exist as human beings? What is a human being? Before blaming God, let's try to watch ourselves in the mirror.

THC: You have referred to Train of Life as "a metaphor for life itself." What does the ending imply for life?

Mihaileanu: As long as we don't forget those people, the people on the train, they will never die. "Don't let me forget their eyes, because I will become crazy," says Shlomo. As long as we don't forget them, the barbarians won't succeed. And if you forget Shlomo, he will die. It is the audience who chooses whether he lives or dies.

THC: Did you have a certain message you wanted the audience to come away with?

Mihaileanu: The only thing I want people to understand is that humanity is wonderfully imperfect, but wonderful. We want to remain imperfect with problems, but we want to try to understand those problems. We just have to try to find peace in our souls. That's the message that my father gave me, that life is such a big gift and we should live it 100%. We should always keep our humor--it is the manifestation of life. We need to keep the humor and our identity and memory, our culture and people, and we need to open our arms and spirit to other people. That train, for me, is all of humanity. We are starting from a specific segment of humanity, but all the problems they have are the same ones we all have. We all have the same problems.

THC: What kind of reception do you think the film will receive in the US?

Mihaileanu: I don't know, but I want everyone to come and bring their kids. I want them to see how beautiful the people were. I hope the people will laugh, cry and sing a little bit; they will decide how the movie does.