Three Thousand Years of Longing

What would you do, if a Djinn appeared to you, gave three wishes at your leisure, would you use them for your pleasure, a lad in veritable full throttle, a genie conjured from a bottle, just be clear what you require, to satisfy, your heart's desires (and quench any sweltering fires that may also need dousing).

A tale of loneliness and solitude, of growing old and achievements, of what could have been and what might yet be, told through the furtive imagination of Alithea, with help from a mysterious spirit who she frees from a bottle during a stay in Istanbul.

Imagination doesn't disappear with age, and while this is not the greatest or the deepest film you'll see this year, it may still leave you juggling what three wishes you might make, and especially how to phrase them so they don't backfire.

George Miller's latest historical fantasy Three Thousand Years of Longing is nothing short of a pleasant theatre going experience. From its visual language to its scope and narration, this movie is charming from the get go. Adapted from a collection of short stories titled "The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye", it tells the story of a narratologist scholar who accidentally frees a djinn that offers to grant three wishes of her heart's true desire. When the scholar initially refuses, being all too familiar with stories of wishes and how they all serve as none but cautionary tales, the djinn then narrates to her the story of his three thousand year long life and how his freedom now rests in the hands of this unwilling scholar.

Each story is its own vignette and each story collectively contributes to the unfolding of history on screen in grand fashion. It's truly amazing and therapeutically charming to witness these stories play out; feeling for the players, understanding their predicaments and relating to their miseries... Three Thousand Years of Longing is in every way as enchanting as the stories it tells. But it's not without its flaws, as the movie eventually plays into what I can only describe as a somewhat weak and forced final act; that to an extent undermines the ambition of its build up. And that final act does ruin what could have otherwise been a collectively satisfying experience.

Whatever flaws it may have, it's not enough to overshadow the sheer scale and ambition of this movie. It was in every way a pleasant experience and a story that is in many ways charming and wonderful.

If you, like I was, are expecting a fast-paced, light-spirited, fun romp of visual extravaganza and witty dialogue along the journey that is Three Thousand Years of Longing ... you WILL be disappointed. Now, that is not meant to dissuade you from watching or enjoying it. On the contrary. It is simply meant to temper your expectations.

There is certainly much beauty in many of this film's scenes; from curious beauty in the mundane, to fabulous beauty in the fantastical. (There is also a musical scene that will spirit you away to decadent places). Sadly however, for some unknown reason, this film chooses to stay more in the realm of the mundane than the wondrous. The wasted shame in this is almost palpable.

The film also feels somewhat choppy or disconnected at times. This is especially true quite early, when it begins to touch upon and wander into the mythical almost immediately, but with no real explanation as to why or how those particular scenes tie in with the rest of the film.

Lastly, and most grievously, while all the right words existed for this story to be told ... it seemed to lack a bit of passion or fervor from the storytellers.

All this is NOT to imply that Three Thousand Years of Longing is without its merits.

For one, Swinton and Elba together (although IMO neither delivering their best performances), is still a treat. They are beautiful separately, and together, they are art. Neither however, could elevate the tone of the film because, intentionally or not, the MAIN TONE of several parts of the film, is more cacophony than cadence. It is my friends, also, far darker and sadder in parts, than what may be expected.

Think of it as a bedtime story for adults where the story is entertaining enough, and the pictures are beautiful, but the Happily Ever After may be a tad bland, bittersweet and hard to swallow.

"Three Thousand Years of Longing" is a culmination of stories leading up to the encounter between Idris Elba's "Djinn" and Tilda Swinton's "Alithea" that will enchant and enthrall those that wish to be enchanted and enthralled. It is certainly not a movie that I would just recommend to anyone. Rather, this film is one for an audience looking to pick out patterns and motifs that make up a three-thousand-year long story.

These musical motifs, visual patterns, color schemes, and recurring events are placed all throughout the film. Many are easy to pick out, many less so. In essence, this film is not unlike Wes Andersen's "The French Dispatch", in which many smaller stories constitute a whole. While there is certainly room to expand, this is an intriguingly crafted film (with an even more intriguing sound mix), that stayed with me long after I left the theater. If you wish to enter a world where history and legend collide, I would highly recommend this film.

Tilda Swinton is an academic who studies stories. She lives a fairly isolated existence ... by choice ... valuing her independence over close relationships. While at a conference in Istanbul, she buys a glass bottle as a souvenir and when she accidentally opens it in her hotel room, djinn Idris Elba emerges. Naturally, he tells her she has three wishes, but as she's an expert on stories, she's wary since all the stories she knows about wishing are cautionary tales. Since he needs her to make wishes to be free, Elba tells her stories about his past to explain how he ended up in the bottle and to build trust.

The advertising for this film is deceptive. The trailer and this poster try to convince you that you're getting some kind of magical George Miller action extravaganza along the lines of Mad max meets "Everything Everywhere All at Once". This is nothing like that film. It's a pretty stately paced film that mostly involves Swinton and Elba talking in a hotel room, with Elba's stories providing the magnificent visuals. But even these stories are pretty deliberately paced. It's a film about ideas, not action.

I really liked the ideas. It's about the role of stories in life and also about love and companionship. It's also about the idea of wishing for things and what we ultimately have the right to demand from other people. The pace lagged occasionally for me, but I'm very forgiving of a film this packed with ideas and ultimately so intriguingly open ended.