We had been waiting for a new film for seven years. George Miller. After the phenomenal ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’, expectations were very high with the return of the Australian filmmaker, who has presented a unique fantastic drama entitled ‘Three thousand years waiting for you‘ (‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’).
Once upon a time…
Along the lines of films like ‘The Fall’ (Tarsem Singh, 2006) or ‘The Life of Pi’ (Ang Lee, 2012), the latest work by Miller reclaims the value of stories with a narrative full of extraordinary, magical elements, where truth and fantasy intermingle in such a way that it will be up to the viewer to interpret what is real and what is not. Or just get carried away and stay with the moral.
The protagonist, Alithea (tilda swinton), is presented as an analytical and independent woman who begins to have strange visions during a trip in Istanbul. Expert in the art of storytelling, Alithea buys a strange bottle from which a “djinn” (Idris Elbe), the classic genie of the lamp from ‘The Thousand and One Nights’ who offers himself to grant three wishes to anyone who frees him from his prison.
Logically skeptical at first, Alithea decides to satisfy her curiosity and asks the djinn for his story. A starting point that allows George Miller to deploy all kinds of amazing situations and spectacular images, while telling us the origin of its protagonists and their needs, establishing a peculiar relationship of mutual benefit. And it is that Alithea, despite the cold surface of her, has a desire that she did not want to acknowledge…
‘Three thousand years waiting for you’: a master storyteller named George Miller
From the start, Miller proposes a leap of faith. Incredible creatures soon appear and Elba’s entrance with her pointy ears and her superhuman powers makes the intentions of the film very clear. She is a traditional tale full of magic, romance, adventure, tragedy and warnings, inspired by oriental legends. Just don’t expect an adult movie: Miller is heading to All public so be careful when showing violence or sex. a pity We can only hope that some djinn will offer us a director’s cut…
If you accept the proposal, if you relax and don’t panic with a fantastic reading of human conflicts (with special effects closer to cartoons than a live action blockbuster), miller does not disappoint. prove again that it is a master of staging, a skilled storyteller with all the tools you need to stir the emotions you seek in your audience. Among them, two charismatic actors delivered to the fun game of the filmmaker.
Presented at Cannes out of competition, the biggest problem with ‘Three thousand years waiting for you’ may be arriving late, or at the wrong time, with theaters suffering from competition from platforms, with so many fans of the director eager to see the next ‘Mad Max’… offer a film full of romance and tradition in a moment of cynicism. We’ll see how it works at the box office, I hope it succeeds, and if not, it has the makings of a cult title.