Three Thousand Years of Longing is one of the year's truly special films. A major director, working with top-notch talent, given the budget and freedom to tell the story he wants. There's no telling how much longer something like this will happen in this age of studio consolidation, IP obsession, and a shift to streaming.
George Miller, in his first film since the masterful Mad Max: Fury Road, joins forces with newcomer Augusta Gore to adapt A.S. Byatt's hypnotic fairytale. The results are simply magical.
Tilda Swinton stars as Alithea, a literary scholar who genuinely enjoys her solitary life. During a conference in Istanbul, she purchases a glass bottle at the city's famous grand bazaar, not knowing it contains a powerful djinn (Idris Elba). Their love of stories and years of solitude bond them in a short amount of time. As they tell each other about their lives - both filled with highs and lows - their attraction grows.
While this set-up could have made for a fantastic play, Miller's brilliant cinematic eye delivers visual wonders at every turn. The djinn spent most of his life in lavish palaces, and the jaw-dropping costumes and production design bring the royal excesses to the forefront. Even if the special effects aren't always at the highest quality, the meticulously hand-crafted elements never disappoint. Miller also fills his frame with stunning faces of all ages, races, genders and sizes.
Three Thousand Years of Longing premiered at Cannes to a standing ovation, but the vagaries of the film business mean you'll be unlikely to do the same. Even though the film will release wide this weekend, its lack of marketing in the U.S. means it's almost destined to flop. That makes it a perfect pair with the visually and narratively similar The Fall, which barely had a theatrical release but became a cult favorite on video. Both films deserved better.
So if you love moving stories, eye-popping visuals and limitless ambition, don't wait. You'll be longing for another film with this much vibrancy.
