Three Thousand Years of Longing

Grade: B+

Three Thousand Years of Longing is a film with stories within a story, all of which are rich with substance and meaning. So, naturally, I was surprised to hear that it was directed and co-written by George Miller. His Mad Max movies, though fun, are notorious for being almost all action and not much in the way of plot details or character development.

We begin at what we assume is present day or the not-too-distant past. Some people are wearing masks. We meet Dr. Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton), attending a conference in Istanbul. After hallucinating what appears to be a few ancient spirits in the audience, she faints. Afterwards, she buys an old ornamental bottle in an antique shop. In her hotel room, she is scrubbing it clean, and unleashes a genie from inside. He is referred to as a Djinn, and is played by Idris Elba. He comes out as a giant, and his English isn’t great, but after quickly adjusting his size and learning the language, he offers her the standard three wishes.

These are smart characters. Alithea, a well-read narratologist, knows all about the downfalls, tricks, loopholes, and side effects of these wishes in the genie stories. She proceeds cautiously. She doesn’t wish right away, and even considers not wishing. What follows is an interrogation of sorts. She wants to know how he got into the lamp, whether djinns eat, sleep, have ever been in love, etc.

He has been in love before, at least twice. We find that out in two of several stories presented to us, in extended flashbacks. These feel like mini-episodes. If you like historical fiction and fairy tales, you will eat this up. I have the most passing of interests in either, but I was right on board with most of it – or checked out in the parts that weren’t as interesting. They are filmed beautifully, with big dramatic broad strokes. And I haven’t even gotten into the present-day story. What she ends up wishing for, and why, is yet another striking layer in this multifaceted, labyrinthine plot.

Three Thousand Years of Longing is an ambitious movie that has Oscar written all over it. It will be interesting to see if it’s part of that conversation when the time comes, or if audiences (with their fickle memories) will have forgotten about it by then. The interplay between Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba – two masters at this craft – is enjoyable to behold. I could have listened to them for hours.

Grade: B+