‘What would you wish for?’
Three Thousand Years of Longing is a 2022 romantic fantasy film about a lonely female scholar who is offered three wishes by a Djinn.
Written, directed and co-produced by George Miller (Mad Max franchise; Happy Feet movies; Babe: Pig in the City; The Witches of Eastwick), loosely based on the short story ‘The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye’ by A.S. Byatt. Also produced by Dean Hood and Doug Mitchell.
The movie stars Idris Elba, Tilda Swinton, Kaan Guldur, Alyla Browne and Angie Tricker.
Plot:
Doctor Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton) is an academic who is content with life and a creature of reason. While in Istanbul attending a conference, she encounters a Djinn (Idris Elba) who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom.
This presents two problems. First, she doubts that he is real and second because she is a scholar of story and mythology, she knows all the cautionary tales of wishes gone wrong. The Djinn pleads his case by telling her fantastical stories of his past. Eventually, she is beguiled and makes a wish that surprises them both…
Release:
Three Thousand Years of Longing will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this May and will be released theatrically by MGM in the US on August 31, 2022.
Reviews:
“Three Thousand Years of Longing has undeniably cool moments, most likely conjured up in Miller’s fevered imagination. King Solomon’s magical, self-playing stringed instrument is wondrous, and the period details contained in the flashback from the Djinn’s life are beautifully rendered, despite some dodgy CGI. But, unlike the great stories it celebrates, the movie doesn’t have the kind of tension between the leads necessary to create a compelling narrative.” 2 stars, Richard Crouse
Teaser trailer:
Trailer:
Related:
THE DJINN (2021) Reviews and overview
CONJURING THE GENIE (2021) Reviews – now free to watch online
