Plot Summary

Three Thousand Years of Longing tells a modern myth about desire, storytelling, and the fragile bond between immortality and human emotion. The film follows Alithea, a solitary and intellectually rigorous scholar whose rational worldview is quietly unsettled when she encounters a supernatural being capable of reshaping her destiny.

Alithea, a respected British narratologist, travels to Istanbul to attend an international academic conference. While wandering through the city, she purchases an ornate glass bottle from the Grand Bazaar. Upon opening it in her hotel room, she unexpectedly releases a Djinn who has been imprisoned for centuries. The Djinn offers her the traditional bargain: three wishes in exchange for his freedom.

Unlike those before her, Alithea is skeptical. A scholar of myths and narratives, she understands too well how wishes often end in ruin. In response, the Djinn recounts his long and tragic history, unfolding tales of love, power, and betrayal that span empires and eras. As their conversations stretch across nights in the quiet hotel room, Alithea begins to see beyond the danger of wishes and into the profound loneliness of an immortal being condemned to wait.

Over time, an unexpected emotional connection forms between them. Alithea’s carefully guarded independence clashes with her growing empathy, while the Djinn, portrayed with restrained intensity by Idris Elba, reveals vulnerability beneath his ancient grandeur. Tilda Swinton brings emotional precision to Alithea, grounding the fantastical elements in human doubt and longing.

The film also features contributions from Turkish actors, adding cultural texture to its Istanbul setting. Matteo Bocelli, the son of Andrea Bocelli, appears in the role of Şehzade Mustafa, reinforcing the film’s historical dimension and its meditation on the cost of desire across centuries.

Blending philosophical reflection with romantic fantasy, Three Thousand Years of Longing is less concerned with spectac