Three Thousand Years of Longing – Movie Reviews by Ry!

Three Thousand Years of Longing – Creatures of Conversations, Wishes and Love

What is it that we seek in life.  Is it the everlasting escape or feelings of connections.  I ask, can it be both?  Whatever it may be, our journeys provide a way to see things beyond.  This is true in film, where stories can mesmerize within an unknown of prevalence and predictability.  Finding those parallels can be stellar, providing a window into feeling something pure.  In this review, I look at the latest fantasy escape from George Miller.  Known for unique storytelling, he takes us into a world that is both grounded and imaginative.  Through a tale about lostness and hope, Three Thousand Years of Longing is an escape that will answer the question … is there anything worth wishing for?

This is a tale of love, lost and desire.  Within this outline of emotional threads, we come into this world through the character of Alithea (Tilda Swinton).  A British scholar enamored by stories, she travels to Istanbul to further her understanding about connections to the world’s myths and legends.  In her travels, she receives an item where she accidently releases a Djinn (Idris Elba) from confinement.  After some initial conversations of exposition, he gives her a proposition: He will grant her three wishes and then he can be released from this world.  From this point, things turn into a series of conversations that provide a mixture of thoughtful confrontation, imaginative storytelling and the purpose of a wish.  As mentioned earlier, this is a tale focused on love, lost and desire.  There are many films that spin theses aspects through typical means.  This film changes it up through a slow burn that builds each conversation with a sense of human fragility and character indifference.  Their conversation provides layers of escapism, vivid world building within the belief of granting wishes.  From Alithea perspective, there is no wish that can be consider worthy.  From the Djinn’s perspective, all wishes provide an outlet of possibilities, but always have relative consequences.  Within this back and forth, the story builds up each character through deeply providences of their truths, delving deep within a heart’s desire versus living a content life.  Each conversation provides insight into the Djinn’s past, leading to an experience that is relative but captivating to Alithea.  The awe of his stories draws her into contemplations of past choices, driving a unique build of a relationship between lost souls.  This showcase of familiarity provides meaningful stature in the lush escape of George Miller’s storytelling. 

As the journey continues, the amazing details of conversations starts to change into a predictable thread of relationship motifs.  As things turn, there is a leveling of characterizations within mythos and emotions, creating a sense of an identity crisis (for the film).  Even as things change, the focus stays on the relativity of wishes that stays connected through the context of love, lost and desire.  Consequences of their relationships come to head, which leads into a third act and climax that reflect on the meaning selfless sacrifice.  This leads into a familiar epilogue, but one where you have closure in the end.  Three Thousand Years of Longing is a genuine tale within a hardy escape.  It is a journey of amazing turns, that anyone can enjoy.  If you are a fan George Miller, escapism or romance style films, this is one for you.  I say this can be a fun time at the theaters.  

Full Score – 3.5 out of 5 (Matinee)