Review: '3,000 Years of Longing' is a visually resplendent fairy tale for adults
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — 3,000 Years of Longing
3.5 out of 5 Stars
Director: George Miller
Writers: George Miller, Augusta Gore, A.S. Byatt
Starring:Idris Elba, Tilda Swinton
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Rated:R for some sexual content, graphic nudity and brief violence
Studio Synopsis: Dr. Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton) is an academic - content with life and a creature of reason. While in Istanbul attending a conference, she happens to encounter a Djinn (Idris Elba) who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. This presents two problems. First, she doubts 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.
Review: George Miller is best known for his Mad Max films. He also won an Oscar for the animated film “Happy Feet.” “3000 Years of Longing” is a completely different beast altogether as it explores the life and disappointments of a magical djinn who has spent centuries longing for freedom.
It’s a long-form poem filled with myth and magic. It’s not linear. In many ways, it feels like Terry Gilliam’s "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen." But it is also radically different from Gilliam’s work because even at its most playful the narrative doesn’t feel childlike. It’s an adult’s imagination that runs wild and its themes are weightier. It’s filled with incredibly lush visuals, and has its playful moments, but is untimely about something more than spectacle. It’s about love and sacrifice, which isn’t exactly what you might expect from a film that is about a wish-granting entity that lives in a bottle.
It’s a film that I don’t feel comfortable saying anything definitive about after only one viewing. The visuals, costuming, and art direction in general is phenomenal. The acting is also tremendous. I loved watching it.
Is the structure too fractured to be considered whole? Do the narrative and its musings on love make sense? Does it need to make sense? Myths are filled with impossibilities. Things that are inexplicable to modern audiences were accepted when they were written. "3000 Years of Longing" feels classical but is as rooted in the world of now as it is in the magical world of folktales and lore.
I don’t feel as close to the characters as I thought I would be. Is this a flaw in the screenplay or is my mind simply unable to wholly navigate the complexities of the story while also developing a bond with its characters?
I’ll happily watch "3,000 Years of Longing" again. Not because I need to untangle my thoughts. Because I want to watch it again (and perhaps again). Ultimately, that’s no small feat.