25 Aug Three Thousand Years of Longing Review

THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING

dir. George Miller, starring Idris Elba, Tilda Swinton

Three Thousand Years of Longing, a fantasy adapted from the short story The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye, tells the story of Aliethea Binnie, comfortable in her lonely existence, who encounters a Djinn who offers her three wishes. Alithea, a scholar of mythology and storytelling, knows the beguiling nature of Djinn, and is hesitant to present her wishes, knowing they come with a price. Their conversation, which leads to the Djinn regaling Alithea with stories of his prior owners and past relationships, leads to an ending that neither of them expected.

Three Thousand Years of Longing is, at its heart, a story about stories. In a similar vein as Life of Pi or Big Fish, the main focus of the second act is the previous adventures of Elba’s djinn, taking its time in unraveling the mythical creature’s relationship with love in multiple aspects. All three stories he tells manages to provide some sort of visual tie thematically to Alithea as a narrative shorthand to foreshadow events for later in the film. The flashbacks of the djinn’s life are far more interesting and underdeveloped when compared to his time spent with Alithea. While the discussions the two have in Alithea’s hotel room raises interesting questions about life and love, the talk between them doesn’t compare to the actions shown in the flashbacks. Even though the second story drags a bit too long and muddies the film’s pacing slightly, it’s still preferrable to the contemporary plot. The third act is a meandering mess, wandering towards the credits before completely fizzling out at the end.

Starring Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton, Three Thousand Years of Longing works better when the actors are apart from each other. Swinton’s Alithea, the main focus of the first act, delivers what audiences have come to know and love of the actress: at times slightly aloof and at times slightly quirky. A type that she’s played dozens of times, it’s a warm blanket for Swinton to return to, and one we’re most familiar with. Elba’s djinn shines the most through his backstory and his various interactions with his previous owners. While the handsome physique and rugged charm continues to serve Elba well, we’re rarely subjected to it in this film. Swinton and Elba together make for an odd pairing, one that seems like it could work in theory but doesn’t quite pan out in practice. Their initial scenes together as they get to know each other are delightful, but by film’s end their deeper relationship is lacking in believability.

Co-written and directed by George Miller, Three Thousand Years continues the veteran filmmaker’s quest of ambitious storytelling. From a technical standpoint, Miller’s work continues to be exemplary: bright, vibrant colors pop off the screen, clever match cuts transition between scenes, and shot compositions tell just as much story as the characters themselves do. For all its visual bravado and technical wizardry, however, that overall narrative of the present day storyline is the film’s most lacking component. Miller and co-writer Augusta Gore’s screenplay and plotting is where the movie truly suffers; with so much time spent on the djnn’s life, not enough time is spent focusing on the djinn and Alithea. An attempt to adapt a 274 page short into a feature length film requires some work, and as far as adaptations go, Three Thousand Years of Longing wasn’t quite up to task.

Overall, the movie, while interesting in concept, doesn’t fully pay off in its execution. It boasts an impressive production design and some clever cinematography, but visuals alone aren’t enough to carry the narrative. Far from Idris Elba or Tilda Swinton’s best performances, the lack of chemistry between the two hinders the key concept of the story. George Miller’s direction far outpaces his writing, and while respect has to be given for a solid attempt, this film makes for the compelling case that some short stories should stay just that. Three Thousand Years of Longing is released in theaters August 26th.

Review by Darryl Mansel