It’s going to be interesting to see how people react to Three Thousand Years of Longing. It’s a largely indescribable movie that can’t possibly be done justice by any ad campaign. The trailers aren’t inaccurate or anything, but there’s just no way of capturing what the movie actually is without just showing the whole danged thing. Any ideas you may have about it are probably somewhat off base, but I don’t intend to disabuse you of any expectations, as having mine wholly upended was a lot of what made the film so entertaining. So I’ll put it simply: It if you like the work of George Miller, Idris Elba, or Tilda Swinton, you are in for a treat. This is dense, high fantasy for adults wrapped in an impeccable feat of cinema.
Tilda Swinton plays Alithea, a contented academic who studies the art, history, and cultural application of stories. Her life is a quiet, sometimes lonely one, made satisfying by the travels afforded her by her career. Alithea has no familial connections and is happy living life in pursuit of her studies. While on a speaking assignment in Istanbul, she picks up an unassuming knickknack that, per its seller, has no history. This could not be more inaccurate. As you probably gleaned from the trailers, this little bauble contains a gigantic djinn (Idris Elba). He offers Alithea three wishes, and if she uses al of them, he will, after three thousand years of longing, be set free. Alithea knows that a djinn’s offer typically comes with a catch, so if she’s going to play along, she’s not going to do it lightly. She must get to know this djinn.
“I find feeling through stories,” she says. Best they share a few.
That’s just the setup, and what follows is a feature length conversation in a sort of anthology style. The source novel, A.S. Byatt’s The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye, is a collection of five separate tales. This film is based on just the titular novella-length short, but still follows a multi-story format as the djinn and Alithea explore each other’s minds.
This isn’t merely two incredible actors chewing scenery together. With each tale, George Miller transports us into a new time and place, using all of the skills at his disposal to create a visual feast of practical and digital imagery. It’s pure imagination — the production design is to die for. Much like in his Mad Max: Fury Road, the in-camera and post-production imagery is near seamlessly intertwined, rooting a surrealist palette in tangible, onscreen action. Thanks to master cinematographer John Seale (who shot Fury Road), even the moments that look plainly digital only do so as the result of a choice. Miller and his team have created an astonishing, fully immersive world that is sure to absorb anyone who dares look its way.
Also returning from the Fury Road team is Junkie XL, whose scores typically have a rockin’ hard edge to them. This time around his style is a bit softer, but not lacking in his distinctive style. I’d say it’s his best work to date.
During a press conference, Idris Elba indicated that he requested Miller shoot the story segments first, so that he could use the experience of performing them to inform the wraparound story. It’s an idea that Miller then indicated never occurred to him until Elba brought it up. This is the direction the production ultimately went and it shows. Even if it’s a rather light picture with much of its active drama contined in flashbacks, the characterizations and performances are so strong that the quiet shell in which these blazing stories sit is deeply compelling. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
Bonus: In this super magical movie Tilda Swinton is not playing a magical being. Wild. Bold. Essential. I love it.
Directed by George Miller
Written by George Miller, Augusta Gore, A.S. Byatt
Starring Tilda Swinton, Idris Elba, Pia Thunderbolt
Rated R, 108 minutes
