Three Thousand Years of Longing

Narratology is a branch of science that deals with how a story is told. Dr Alithea Binnie, she is a narratologist, is in Istanbul for a conference. Binnie, a woman with both feet on the ground, buys an old bottle in an antique shop. In her hotel room, she polishes it clean and suddenly a djinn, a spirit trapped in the bottle, appears. He has an enticing offer: he will grant three of her wishes in exchange for his freedom. Of course, Binnie knows plenty of stories with this motif and knows that it often does not end well. She therefore turns down the offer. The djinn starts telling her stories that are supposed to trigger wishes and desires in Binnie.

Director George Miller, best known for his Mad Max films, based this romantic fantasy film on The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye, a short story by British writer A.S. Byatt. The lead roles are played by top actors Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba.