In THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING (2022), a lonely academic who studies story encounters a djinn, who wants to be freed by granting three wishes. The academic, however, knows all the stories of wishes going wrong, setting up a contest of wits and wills. This is a charming movie, though its last act appears grafted on to bring the film into a meh finish.

Alithea (Tilda Swinton) is an academic who lives a life of reason and studies story for a living. While attending a conference in Istanbul, she is struck by visions, which suggest some destiny, though this is never explained. She encounters a bottle and releases a djinn (Idris Elba, born for this role), who offers to grant three wishes in return for his freedom. The only problem is as a woman who has studied story her entire life, she knows all the cautionary tales about making wishes. She also feels complete, and so has no heart’s desire from which to make a wish.

The first two acts of the film take place largely in Alithea’s hotel room, where she negotiates with the djinn while he tells her stories about his doomed interactions with humans in the past. The backstories are heavily CGI’d along with the initial appearance of the djinn. That and the playful narrative make the whole thing feel like a Disney movie for adults, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you just run with it. Like I said, the whole thing is charming, and the stories themselves are fanciful and interesting, building an overall narrative.

Swinton plays her part with crisp efficiency; Elba fully inhabits his role and as usual chews the scenery. The only problem is this is supposed to be a love story of sorts, and they don’t really have any chemistry. Which brings me to the third act, where we get to the love story, which would be fine only besides a lack of chemistry feels utterly grafted on, along with a subplot involving bigotry. A lot of happens in the third act, but it feels rushed and out of character for Alithea. This is a story we need to be shown instead of told for emotional impact, but it feels like telling.

All that being said, though, overall I liked THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING enough for its positive qualities. Despite the strange pacing and meh conclusion, it had its charms, I was entertained, I enjoyed Elba’s performance a lot, and for these things, I was happy enough.

Based on the excellent novel by Ian McGuire, NORTH WATER (2021) is a CBC-produced miniseries about the men aboard a whaling ship in the 1800s. The story is brutal, the landscapes beautiful and savage, and the themes powerful. This is a terrific watch.

The story focuses on Patrick Sumner, a British Army surgeon who survived the Siege of Delhi but with an honorable discharge and a nasty opiate addiction. With nowhere to go to find healing and redemption, he signs up as doctor aboard a whaling ship bound for the Atlantic, a voyage that turns into a battle for survival. Thematically, the story explores man’s animal nature (expressed with some obvious symbolism), whether it’s suppressed (Sumner), freely embraced (Henry Drax), or rationalized (First Mate Cavendish and Captain Browning).

At first, I wasn’t sure about this one, as the first episode does a good job introducing the major characters but otherwise has a bit of a made-for-TV feel to it. Once they all get on the ship and the plot kicks into gear, I was utterly hooked, and the pacing and plot doesn’t let up until a period of peace leading up to the final climax.

The acting is just top notch in this. Jack O’Connell, Stephen Graham, and Sam Spruell are just about perfect in their roles, but Colin Farrell’s portrayal of the brutish, happily amoral, and reasonably evil harpooner Henry Drax blew me away. It’s possibly Farrell’s best role yet; he pretty much chews every scene he’s in.

The sets are also amazing and beautiful, with on-location shoots in the Arctic, meaning every time you see the actors looking utterly miserable and cold, well, that was real. (For those who hate animal violence onscreen, there’s a seal clubbing scene and a whale harpooning scene. Of course, no actual animals are harmed.)

I highly recommend this one if you dug similar series like THE TERROR. I found it a nice surprise, and if you dig the series, be sure to read the excellent book.