Three Thousand Years of Longing

"What would you wish for?"

2022 1h 48m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 1,758

DramaFantasyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A solitary scholar discovers an ancient bottle while on a trip to Istanbul and unleashes a djinn who offers her three wishes. Filled with reluctance, she is unable to come up with one, so the djinn tries to inspire her with his stories.

“What would you wish for?”

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Cast

Tilda Swinton
Alithea
Idris Elba
The Djinn
Erdil Yaşaroğlu
Professor Günhan
Sabrina Elba
British Council Lady / The Watcher
Sarah Houbolt
Airport Djinn
Seyithan Özdemir
Pale Djinn
Aamito Lagum
The Queen of Sheba
Nicolas Mouawad
King Solomon

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: George Miller
Writers: Peter Pound, Mark Sexton, George Miller
Languages: Turkish, German, Greek, English
Countries: Australia, China, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 34% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Turkish, German, Greek, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Australia, China, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by George Miller, shot by John Seale. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Tom Holkenborg. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Margaret Sixel shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

George Miller directs. John Seale behind the camera. Tom Holkenborg scores. Margaret Sixel cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Australia, China, United Kingdom. Dialogue in Turkish, German, Greek, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Earned back only 34% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 4 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Turkish, German, Greek, English.
5International production across 3 countries: Australia, China, United Kingdom.
6Directed by George Miller, shot by John Seale. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Tom Holkenborg. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Margaret Sixel shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba and Erdil Yaşaroğlu carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "What would you wish for?".
11IMDB entry: tt9198364 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 15 themes, including "mythology", "longing", "djinn", "desire".
13Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: John Seale
Original score: Tom Holkenborg
Editing: Margaret Sixel
Production design: Roger Ford
Makeup / hair: Terri Farmer
Sound: Robert Mackenzie
Stunt coordinator: Yasca Sinigaglia
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $60,000,000
Box office: $20,300,000
Return: 34% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)

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George Miller

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-09-03
★ 7/10
"Alithea" (Tilda Swinton) is a solitary scholar who travels to Istanbul to address a conference on the relative merits of myth v science. At the seminar, she starts to hallucinate and the seed is sown that perhaps the mystical is not so far-fetched as we might think! A visit to the Grand Bazaar sees her acquire a small blue bottle that, when attacked rather unceremoniously with an electric toothbrush, spills it's contents into her hotel room. A giant, hairy-legged Djinn (Idris Elba). In keeping with tradition, he offers her three wishes - but she is sceptical. Easy come, easy goes thinks she - and as the couple chat, she discovers just how he became incarcerated in this, his third, bottle. His are tales of love, lust, greed, power and sadness and he depicts them to her of his life of some thousands of years. He also declares just why it is so important that she actually makes her wishes; for without those he can never attain his freedom. It's good fun this film. An anthology of scenarios that entertain and amuse with a worldly and generous effort from the sagely Swinton who gradually falls in love with her now normal-sized companion. The dynamic between the two stars is engaging and effective, the latter delivering a charming contribution to a simple story of the problems of a series of unrequited loves over the centuries that will probably never find a straightforward solution! It's a quirky film, that moves along quickly and I really quite enjoyed it.
Manuel São Bento2022-09-16
★ 7/10
MORE SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS @ https://www.msbreviews.com/ "Three Thousand Years of Longing is one of the most ambitious films of the year. Relying on the genuinely charming, mesmerizing performances of Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton, George Miller approaches a famous cautionary tale through a distinctive form of storytelling, focusing on flashbacks narrated by the male protagonist. The multiple stories of the past aren't always fascinating, partially due to the chosen narrative method, which becomes repetitive despite enriching some of the core themes. The immersive, atmospheric visuals elevate the overall piece with significant impact, making this a cinematic experience to leave any viewer contemplating life, desire, loneliness, and happiness." Rating: B+
Nathan2022-10-14
★ 5/10
I did not have many expectations for Three Thousand Years of Longing, but after leaving the theater it left me longing for more. I do not think any individual part of this film was inherently bad. The performances by Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton were captivating and their on-screen chemistry was amazing. The flash backs to the characters' lives were very fascinating. I really enjoyed exploring the lives of ancient civilizations in the eyes of George Miller. The overarching plot was decent, nothing spectacular. But the collection of all these different elements together just felt like a jumbled mess. The movie never gets in a groove and always feels like it is stumbling its way to the finish line. I felt the opening sequence was incredibly rushed and the audience does not really get to form a connection with Alithea before she unleashes the Djinn, and from there on the audience is whipped back and forth from flashback to present day and it feels incredibly disjointed. The jumbled up second act, deflates any type of momentum going into the third making it fall flat on its head. All this compiled together made a somewhat emotional and touching ending feel hollow and lackluster. Overall, as a collection of short stories this movie was a good time, but really does not belong together in a jumbled-up mess of a plot. Score: 53% | Verdict: Average