Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)
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A scholar's discovery of an ancient bottle unleashes a Djinn who shares tales of his millennia-long existence.
The story
Alithea Binnie, a British narratology scholar who occasionally hallucinates demonic beings, travels to Istanbul where she purchases an antique Çeşm-i Bülbül bottle. Upon opening it, she unleashes a Djinn trapped within. The Djinn offers to grant her three wishes, but Alithea, wary of his nature as a trickster, questions the value of wishing. Instead of making a request, she engages in a dialogue about the nature of imagination. In response, the Djinn begins to recount three distinct tales from his past, spanning thousands of years, detailing how he eventually became imprisoned in the bottle.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Alithea Binnie, a scholar in Istanbul, unearths a Djinn from an antique bottle. The Djinn recounts three tales: the first involves the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon; the second follows a concubine named Gülten in the court of Suleiman the Magnificent; the third follows a woman named Zefir in the 19th century. Alithea eventually falls in love with the Djinn and uses her wishes to bring him into her life in London. However, the modern world's technology begins to weaken his physical form. Alithea uses her final wishes to ensure his safety and eventual return to his own realm. Three years later, she finds him healthy and approaching her in a park, promising to remain with her throughout her life.
- First release year
- 2022
- Runtime (minutes)
- 108
- Production countries
- United States; Australia
- Original languages
- English
- Writers
- George Miller · screenplay; Augusta Gore · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Idris Elba · Djinn; Tilda Swinton · Alithea Binnie; Aska Karem; Matteo Bocelli; Aamito Lagum; Sarah Houbolt; Lachy Hulme
- Genres
- romantic fantasy drama; fantasy; romantic drama
- Themes
- time; imagination; loneliness; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- hallucinogenic; dreamlike; seductive
- Setting
- Istanbul, London, and various historical periods including the court of Suleiman the Magnificent and the 19th century.
- Premise and plot tags
- fantasy; romance; historical; mythology
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A. S. Byatt
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its visuals and performances, but was a box-office bomb.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 60 · scale: 100 · review count: 52; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The film received a six-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.; The film was produced on a budget of $60 million.; The film is dedicated to Miller's mother Angela and Rena Mitchell.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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