If you were given three wishes, what would you ask for? Most people might ask for money, good health, and perhaps happiness. But is there a more fundamental need that cannot be wished for, as it can only be given freely – namely love?
Such is the theme of director George Miller’s latest feature, “Three Thousand Years of Longing”, which starts with insight into the life of narratologist Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton). She is independent, solitary, and extremely passionate about her vocation that involves examining the ways tales and narratives impact humankind.
Accustomed as she is to magic and fantasy being relegated to stories and the pages of books, she faults her overactive imagination when she starts having hallucinations involving characters she has come across.
But everything changes when she buys an unremarkable-looking antique bottle from a curio shop in Istanbul – and ends up frees a Djinn that had been trapped in it.
The Djinn – played by a buff Idris Elba, last seen duking it out with a lion – grants her three wishes. Where most people would jump at the change, Binnie does not want for anything, claiming she is content with her life.
She also doesn’t trust the Djinn, given all she has learnt about how these supernatural beings can be mischievous and are known to be tricksters.
The Djinn proceeds to tell her his eventful life story, and how he came to be trapped in the bottle time and time again. A common thread in his tales are the women he falls in love with, and how these brief dalliances more than make up for his desolate life in captivity.
The stories he tells are extremely engaging, and one can’t help but yearn to be transported back in time to get a taste of his life – whether to fall in love with the beautiful Queen of Sheba; to entangle with a concubine in the palace of Suleiman the Magnificent; or to be absolutely smitten by a curious and intelligent Turk from the 19th century.
As it turns out, these narratives of love found and lost weave a spell on Binnie, who suddenly expresses her desire to be with the Djinn. She finally takes up his offer and wishes for his love.
The rest of “Three Thousand Years” revolves around how the Djinn tries to adapt to life on Earth, and the consequences of living in a realm that wasn’t designed for his ilk.
The movie has a bittersweet ending, which is the most realistic conclusion it could have, because what is life but a series of ups and downs?
All in all, this departure from the “Mad Max” director is a charming tale, buoyed by the effortless chemistry between Swinton and Elba. Both make the most of their roles despite a somewhat abrupt and rushed romance.
If anything, viewers might be prompted to take stock of their lives and ponder what they might wish for should they come across their own genie in a bottle or lamp. Who knows, you might just unearth a hidden desire that could possibly change the course of your life.
And now that it is once again possible to travel in the real world, “Three Thousand Years” just might awaken one’s wanderlust: the hope of learning and discovering magical stories that make up the spirit and soul of different places around the globe.
If only one could go 3,000 years back in time, before listicles and influencers indelibly took the gloss off travel for the masses.
‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’ is playing in cinemas nationwide.