In the footsteps of legends and wishes – review of the film “Trzy Thousand Years of Longing”

Krzysztof: Three Thousand Years of Longing is a film that is so interesting in its assumptions that it is a story about novels with heroes who soak up stories. Explaining – During a business trip narratologist Alithea (Tilda Swinton) meets a Djinn ( Idris Elba), trapped for a long time in an inconspicuous vial. And, as commonly known legends dictate, the heroine deserves three wishes. The problem is that she does not have any clearly defined desires, and as a researcher, she knows perfectly well that even well-intentioned requests can be perversely fulfilled, to the detriment of those who wish. Therefore, to inspire reflection on potential desires, a genie dreaming of freedom tells about his fate to date, not entirely responsible wishes and the story of being imprisoned several times. This is the setting of the film’s strongest point, which is a colorful, fairy-tale journey through memories.

Kasia: In my opinion, this part of the production is the most interesting. When the Genie takes the viewer on a journey through time, you can really feel like in a fairy tale. Unfortunately, every now and then we are torn from this fairy tale and transported back to the modern world, where the narratologist Alithea conducts a dialogue with her new friend. At first the phrasebook seemed original and interesting, but after a while I felt forcefully pulled out of my magical memories, only to hear another conversation. It frustrated me a bit, because after a few scenes like this, I had the impression that this element did not contribute anything to the film, compared to the phenomenal stories from the long life of the Genie.

Krzysztof: Yes, I agree to a large extent. As a rule, I understand the idea. In the film structure, such a separation of episodes is useful, we would not have thought that we are dealing with a stuck series. There was a chance to juxtapose the different loneliness of the two heroes, and in fact some of it manage to sound interesting, add something to it, increase the emotional load. Then, however, the meaning gets a little lost and there is no consistency as to the point where the creators want to lead us. Meanwhile, the main threads definitely attract more attention.

Kasia: As for the heroes of this magical adventure – this Genie is something completely new. It is completely different from others of its kind who were famous for their malice and perversity. The characters that we meet when visiting the Genie’s memories are also interesting and deserve the viewer’s attention. Their makeup is beautiful and extraordinary. However, I had a problem with the main character, because I had the impression that the creators were trying to make her “different than all”. They try to make her a stereotypical freak scientist who makes decisions other than “normal individuals”. Alithea’s virtue is certainly that she feels happy with what she has. The question is whether this is enough to actually present something new to the viewers and not be overshadowed by the glare of many interesting supporting characters. What do you think?

Christopher:I have mixed feelings here. The characters in these stories are great. We are dealing here with a whole range of colorful characters that refer to archetypes in legendary narratives with morals. Among them, and how glistening the Genie – somehow lost, but hungry for feelings and good, someone with whom we immediately sympathize. Idris Elba looks great, the actor (in my perception so far mainly associated with the roles of stereotypically “tough” characters) has played a very empathetic character. As for Alithea, I have the impression that in this composition of the different stories, she had too little time before the final act of the story for us to feel her change of mind. Rather, I liked the theme of how the stories we are told affect us and shape our perceptions of reality. They have the same effect on the main character, who at first is satisfied with a life somewhat idealized in its modest simplicity. Tilda Swinton’s talent definitely pulls on the role, but I still think there is not enough time here. The script tries to grab too many magpies by the tail, ending up moving numerous themes with potential that ultimately are not developed enough or are completely abandoned.

Kasia: I definitely agree with you, especially when it comes to the Genie who actually arouses sympathy from the very beginning of the screening. Moving on to the next aspect, I think that Three Thousand Years of Longing is visually stunning. The creators have made such an effort that not only the Genie’s memories please the eye, but also the scenes from the present look aesthetically and neatly. For me, the most beautiful thing was the ubiquitous gold in flashbacks and all the special effects, some downright chaotic, to show us how powerful some spells work.

Krzysztof: I fully agree, the dazzling style of the film is the most important argument for immersive immersion in the cinematic experience. Right from the start, the image benefits from setting the action in Istanbul, which changes over time, which in itself is not a particularly popular setting. This, of course, is not all, because you want to soak up this film by how you managed to capture the fairy-tale atmosphere full of colors. In fact, it can be chaotic, but all the time I had the impression that it was a controlled chaos, attached to details, making you feel a certain elusiveness of magical stories.

Kasia: Let me tell you that when I left the cinema, I didn’t know what I should think about this story. On the one hand, I was enchanted by flashbacks full of beautiful scenery and stories. On the other hand, I was bored with scenes from the present, not to mention a slightly disappointing ending. Certainly, it is a production worth seeing, if only because of its unique aesthetics. In the plot, I recommend focusing on the adventures of the Genie, because I doubt that the viewers will be delighted with the story of the narratologist. I would love to return to this title, but only to watch segments from the past.

Krzysztof: Three thousand years of longing is the type of cinema to which we have reservations, but I can still recommend its screening without hesitation, with the attitude that it will not have to unequivocally like it. After all, not everything has to evoke binary positive or negative experiences. It is a stylistically beautiful film, with a repeatedly engaging narrative, yet leaving a lack of unrealized potential, but pleasant to think about.

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