THREE THOUSAND YEARS LONGING

Australia, 2022, 108 minutes, Colour.

Idris Elba, Tilda Swinton.

Directed by George Miller.

What is it like to be a Djinn, trapped in a bottle for 3000 years, yearning to be out, longing for someone to make wishes to release him, some hopes every century or so but then a return to containment?

This is a speculation by British novelist, A.S.Byatt in her short story “The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye”. It is also a speculation by George Miller and his daughter, Augusta Gore, imagining a debt for the screen. Miller’s previous film was the much-acclaimed Mad Max: Furious in 2015. He is now involved in a prequel to that film. However, between action films and dramas in the past, Miller has turned to tales and fantasies for family audiences, the Babe films, the Happy Feet films. This time he has a tale and fantasy for an adult audience.

The voice-over narration comes from Alithea, played generally very coolly by Tilda Swinton, even when she encounters the Djinn. She has a very interesting occupation of narratologist, an academic exploring the nature of story and storytelling. As we meet her, she is on a plane on her way to Istanbul for a conference on this subject. During a presentation, she has a premonition, then a vision of a very tall aggressively sinister figure from mythology. Momentarily unpoised, she continues with her presentation, then goes to a market where she is attracted to a vase, warned against it, buys it, takes it a hotel and cleans it.

And, what happens when you rub such a jar in the Orient, a genie appears, the Djinn. And this is Idris Elba, looking a touch of a giant beside the diminutive Tilda Swinton, adapting to be out of his bottle, and adapting to the hotel room, many scenes between them as they converse, dressed in the hotel bathrooms. The  Djinn himself explains himself, hopes that Alithea will complete three wishes and he will be liberated. But, because her studies of narration and mythologies have led her to determine that science and scientific explanations of the world and of human nature have taken the place of such stories, she is unwilling to make any wishes.

What follows, is a great deal of conversation, philosophical and mythical reflection between the two, and something of a battle of wits as to whether the Djinn will have his wish or not. But, it is punctuated by some mythical storytelling in four chapters. We are taken back to the world of 1001 Nights, Scheherazade, the Arabian Nights. These are stories of the Djinn, his emergence into a particular world, becoming involved, especially with the central woman in each tale, but stories of ill will, violence, and the genie back in his bottle, so to speak. There is an episode from the time of King Solomon the Queen of Sheba. There is an episode from the Middle Ages, the time of Suliemann the Magnificent, the story of a young concubine in love with the Prince, but vengeful deaths of each of them before the young woman can make her wish for the Djinn and he wanders for years until the third story, again a young concubine, bewildered, fearful and wishing him back in his bottle.

There is a final story from the Ottoman Empire, much more positive, an intelligent young woman interested in learning, advised by the Djinn, but eventually feeling overwhelmed and making the fatal wish that she had never met the Djinn, losing everything she had gained.

The rest of the film is Alithea’s response to these stories, her being moved by the Djinn, wanting what is best for him – and returning to London which he finds very difficult, technology, electricity, static, affecting his mind and feelings, almost killing him. And, Alithea is challenged to make the best wishes for the Djinn himself.

So, with all the visual trappings of old tales, with archetypal stories and characters, this is a contemporary version of mythologies to remind us that science is significant for explanations but can it be a substitute for the wisdom of the long tradition of stories and myths?

1. The title? The Djin, the genie in his bottle for 3000 years, yearning to get out?
2. Based on the short story by A.S.Byatt?
3. The imagination of George Miller, his career, violent myths, tales for families? This and adult myth?
4. The comment about never a trilogy, the changes in storytelling, the past and the wealth of myths, Alithea recounting them, the conferences with experts? The theory that with the advances in science, science takes the place of myths for explanations of the world, of humans, behaviour?
5. Alithea and her telling the story, the narration, her writing is at the end? Her perspective? Herself, going to Istanbul, the conference, the flight, ordinary, at the airport, met by friends, accommodation? Going to the meeting? The compere and his killing her for her responses? Her seeing the tall genie in the crowd, the reaction, composure, continuing?
6. The visit to the bizarre, the souvenir, her liking the particular jar, buying it, taking it to the hotel, rubbing and cleaning at, the appearance of the Djinn? Her being startled, her accepting this? The challenge to her theory of narration, myths and explanations?
7. The genie from the bottle, size, appearance, the feeling of freedom, in the hotel, both with their bathrobes, the conversation? Her keeping in control? His explanations? The nature of wishes? The limitations of wishes to be made? Wishes from the heart? Alithea and her reaction to the nature of the wishes? Her not wanting to wish?
8. The Djinn, his appearance, years, his personality, manner of speaking? The initial explanations?
9. The stories, memories of the Arabian Nights, Thousand and One Nights, Scheherazade? The various periods for the stories? The focus on women, love and infatuation? The Queen of Sheba, Solomon, the presentation of the court, flamboyance and colour, action, violence? The role of the Djinn and his being returned to his bottle? The second story, the slave girl, her infatuation, the Prince, his father, the love, the intervention of the father, violence, the banishing of the Djinn? The third story, the brothers, battles, deaths, the concubine, the gin trying to help her, her fear, wishing him back in the bottle? The fourth story, the Ottoman Empire, a quiet setting, scholarly, and his helping the young woman, studies, opening her horizons, the effect on her? Yet the oppression? Wishing she had never met the Djinn and everything vanishing from her memory?
10. The decision to return to England, the flight, Alithea and her flat in London? The Djinn and his adapting to London, the technology, the electricity, its effect on him, the debilitation, sounds and music?
11. The ultimate effect on Alithea, writing her story, wishing well for the Djinn, making her wish that the two would be forever together, its effect? His weakening, her wishing that he could recover speech? And her third wish that he be free?
12. And, ultimately having to let him go? Her work, the writing, the reflections on experience? In the park, his return, returning every so often, renewing the friendship and love? The future?