'Three Thousand Years Of Longing' A Review

Three Thousand Years Of Longing is a fantasy about British narratologist Alithea(Tilda Swinton) who purchases a lamp while in Istanbul at a conference. The lamp contains a Djinn(Idris Elba) which must grant her three wishes in order to be released. The two trade stories while she decides what she will do. Much of the action takes place in Alithea's hotel room and the stories are presented by flashback.

Swinton is a singular talent and here she has all her usual magmatism but there's a turn at the beginning of the third act that she can't quite sell, not because of her ability but because the script is clunky and even incongruous with what has gone before in regards to her character's change. Elba is electric, clearly relishing the opportunity of playing this otherworldly being, he's got humor, sensuality, sincerity, irony, it's chock full. The two have wonderful chemistry and until the turn it really works. The supporting cast are mostly secondary, no dimensional characters other than the two leads, which is fine, they serve mostly as objects within the stories told.

Visually a bit uneven, there are some wonderful scenes and sets but there is an over reliance on CGI(one would assume it was a necessity as it was shot during COVID) but even that doesn't really detract from its transportive magical quality. The move really soars until it doesn't. It has all these ideas and themes some of which come to fruition but most of which are abandoned for a romantic turn that is unearned and comes out of nowhere. What feels, for the most part, so fresh and interesting and imaginative is rendered somewhat cliché by the machinations of the plot.

What would be a great 90 minute movie is a decent but flawed two hour one.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

See It.