Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton SHINE in Three Thousand Years of Longing!
Three Thousand Years of Longing, directed by George Miller, is a visually rich and thematically ambitious fantasy drama based on A.S. Byatt’s short story The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye. The film explores longing, loneliness, stories, and desire through the relationship between Dr. Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton), an academic and a self-proclaimed “narratologist”—someone who studies stories—and a Djinn (Idris Elba) who is freed from a bottle in Istanbul and offers her three wishes.
What works well:
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The visuals and production design are stunning. George Miller leans into surreal imagery, elaborate sets, and lush cinematography. The stories the Djinn tells—about kings, queens, consorts, and forgotten lovers—are beautifully told in dreamlike vignettes.
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Swinton and Elba are both compelling. Swinton’s restrained, thoughtful performance as someone torn between skepticism and desire gives the film emotional weight. Elba’s Djinn is charismatic, patient, and full of centuries of pain and hope.
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The film raises interesting questions: about storytelling itself, about what it means to want something, about time and isolation. There’s a poetic quality to it, a sense that it’s not just about wishes, but what those wishes say about what we think life should be.
What doesn’t land as strongly:
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The pacing is uneven. The first half, especially when the storytelling begins, is engaging and engrossing, but as the film progresses, the narrative becomes more disjointed. Some of the sub-stories feel underdeveloped, and the emotional peaks in the ending feel rushed.
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At times the CGI and fantasy elements flicker between breathtaking and distracting. Some effects feel less polished than others, which pulls you out of the mood occasionally.
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The chemistry between the leads, while strong in parts, sometimes feels muted. The dialogue is heavy with metaphor and reflection, but less with raw emotional connection in some of the quieter moments.
Overall, Three Thousand Years of Longing is a beautiful, strange, and emotionally resonant film. It’s not perfect—it’s more dream than structure—but that’s part of its charm.
Final Score: 8/10. A thoughtful fantasy that asks more questions than it answers, richly imagined and emotionally satisfying—flawed but fascinating.
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