Three Thousand Years of Longing

Three Thousand Years of Longing

Starring Idris Elba, Tilda Swinton, Aamito Lagum, Burcu Golgedar

Directed by George Miller

It's easy to pigeonhole actors and directors to a particular genre: John Carpenter is the horror director, Daniel Radcliffe will always be Harry Potter, and so on. Yet there's some the defy expectations and produce fantastic films that run the gambit of genres, and one of those people is 77-year-old director George Miller. Not only did Miller direct the "Mad Max" franchise (including his multi-Oscar winner "Fury Road," along with the upcoming prequel film "Furiosa"), but he also brought to life such beloved children's films like "Happy Feet" and "Babe: Pig in the City." Yet he's also known for dramas like "Lorenzo's Oil" and comedy like "The Witches of Eastwick," so the man knows what he's doing behind the lens. "Three Thousand Years of Longing" is no different, as now Miller introduces the generic idea of a genie who grants three wishes and turns it into an epic tale of love, deception, greed, murder, and a surprisingly delicate romance.

Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton) is a "narritologist" who studies stories and tells the tale of a unique relationship she had with a Djinn - a story that she claims is true, despite the fantastical nature of it. Alithea is alone - no family, no husband, no children - and she seems perfectly content with it, traveling all over the world to teach about the importance of stories throughout history. In Istanbul, she purchases an antique bottle and, when she cleans it, a Djinn (Idris Elba) emerges from it, offering her three wishes - her heart's desire. Alithea, however, is a scholar who knows this story, and is hesitant to reveal her wishes because she knows they always come with dangerous caveats, either from the dark nature of the wishes or the possible manipulation of the Djinn. The Djinn claims to not be manipulating her, and he proves it to her by telling her his own stories about how he repeatedly ended up in the bottle throughout history - tales filled with intrigue, suspense, deceit, murder, and even romance - and as he tells his stories Alithea begins to open up about her own secret longings before she finally reveals her first wish.

Based off the A.S. Byatt story "The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye," "Three Thousand Years of Longing" is truly an epic tale that spans the centuries, and all revolves around one simple topic: your heart's desire. We've all heard the stories since we've been young about rubbing a magical lamp and a genie emerging to grant us three wishes (even Christina Aguilera sang about it), so we're all accustomed to it (nowadays even the genies - or Djinn in this case - are wise to the cheater's wishes, and gives a disclaimer beforehand that he cannot grant infinite wishes, eternal life, and so on), so it's almost impossible to surprise and astound us anymore: but Miller, by God, managed to do it. He took what cinema was meant to - telling stories - and produced an absolute knock-out of a story in his own right. It's jaw dropping in its visuals, but more importantly it's jaw dropping in its story, and once you hear the Djinn's tales, you'll never see another "genie in a bottle" story the same way again.

At the center of the tale is the Djinn himself, played by Idris Elba in what is easily Elba's year ("Beast," "Thor: Love & Thunder," "Sonic the Hedgehog 2," "Luther" all being released this year as well), and what easily is his best performance of the year, and possibly his career to date. His Djinn is a troubled soul who first fell for the incomparable Queen of Sheba (who, according to him, wasn't just "beautiful" as the Bible described it, but "beauty itself," and having Aamito Lagum - the winner of "Africa's Next Top Model" - proves his point) and who got trapped in the bottle thanks to the work of Solomon, leading him on a centuries-long journey to be freed from the bottle. Yet time and again, when he's released, those who make their wishes do so out of either ignorance, anger, or self-sufficiency, and he finds himself back in the bottle again.

Listening to his tales of wonder and sad beauty is Tilda Swinton's Alithea (who's name literally means "true"), a woman who on the outside seems extremely self-sufficient and doesn't need anyone, but deep down she longs for companionship. She had a husband once, but never produced any children, and she has no siblings, and her parents are deceased, so she's totally alone in the world - and while she claims she likes it that way, as the Djinn tells his stories, you see the cracks begin to appear in her facade. Swinton is always an eccentric actress, and this is no different, as she often sees things that no one else sees and has imaginary friends to make up for her lack of real ones, and she's rightfully hesitant to the Djinn's delicious offer. She approaches everything with a critical, academic eye, and it's something that the Djinn hasn't seen in his three thousand years of existence: which further cements the gravitas and the connection between the two characters, and the actors as well. You'll get nothing less than the best from these highly credited thespians, as both Swinton and Elba lose themselves in their roles, allowing the audience to get lost in them as well.

While Miller is known for not incorporating a lot of CGI in his films (like he did with "Mad Max: Fury Road"), he relied on CGI for this film - and it worked tremendously. The screen was filled with lavish effects and spellbinding scenery that would make the MCU jealous, using the effects to further craft the stories being told. Again, cinema is all about telling stories, and you'd be hard pressed to find better stories than "Three Thousand Years of Longing." While the film does drag on a bit at the end, it doesn't deter from what we've already been shown, and only adds to the mysticism and wonder that we've been fortunate enough to behold. It's a classic story told in a unique way, and one that will be hard to top for future directors wishing to rub their own bottles and have their own cinematic wishes come true.

The Score: A+