Trying to understand Three Thousand Years of Longing book vs movie

George Miller's latest movie is an adaption of The Djinn in the Nightingales Eye. An incredible story that takes place in modern day, but transports us back through the last three thousand years. The book and movie have some differing themes, but I think they have the same conclusion (though others may disagree with my interpretation).
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00:00 Intro
01:14 Summary
02:58 Alithea/Gillian childhood
04:29 Her husband
05:40 Women in books
08:53 Narratologist
09:56 All in her head
11:44 The djinn is real
13:26 Movie ending
15:34 Movie ending explained
16:47 book ending
20:05 Book symbolism
21:50 The Djinn’s stories
24:20 Book vs Movie

[@WhytheBookWins]

I've been thinking more about the book, and am now wondering if the djinn was real? I don't know anymore lol. I still stand by my thoughts on the movie, but with the book I would love to hear from other people who have read it! Was it all in her imagination or not?? Does it even matter???

[@JozieLeePro]

Ditto your thoughts.

[@toadallove]

The Djinn was real. This is a larger narrative about women and sensitives, and their connection with other realms. Long before the Abrahamic religions, the ones in power were women because of their connection to the divine and unseen. Persecuted and feared for this power, women have been hunted (Salem in the US), dismissed as crazy, imagining things...women are still put away, and are rendered powerless in countries in the areas that know of these things so deeply that it's in their religious texts as truth (look at Iran.) They are real in the movie, and they are real in this reality. It's a very sad thing when as kids we are told we are imagining things. My sister had an imaginary friend as a kid who told her exactly when our brother would be born. He also had his name! She is now lonely and in the realm of self doubt. Children are extremely perceptive. So yes, in fact, it DOES matter because we are losing a key part of our human ability by others opressing our powers and perceptions. There is more to life than we are being told and sold. This is why this movie did poorly in the box office and people don't understand it. They are missing the larger message. They are not ready, because then the perception of reality is shaken to it's core. Ahh I forgot you were asking about the book, I'm referring to the movie!

[@juellepatriciacadette2917]

Hey there. Just thought I'd mention. Ibrahim was locked in the harem as successors to thrown were seen as suspicious but also there was no one else in the line of succession. This wasn't said but historical fact his brother who was sultan, killed all his tother brothers so no one would compete with him. His mother persuaded him not to kill Ibrahim because it was said that he was mentally unstable. So apart from him being locked up in the harem because he was an heir, he also had to make another heir with the ladies of the harem.

[@moniquecarbiere]

Just saw this amazing movie. I think it is a story about reïncarnation, with the aim to bring the love between the djinn and Zefir, who is reborn as Alithea, to a higher level. (Zefir and Alithea have the same traits: look what they both do with their finger and foot while reading. The first wives of Zefir's husband are in their next life Alithea's neighbours. Also some karma to work out!)

[@WhytheBookWins]

that's a really interesting theory!

[@moniquecarbiere]

@@WhytheBookWins thnx...also think of the fact that both Zefir and Alithea collect bottles. Tomorrow I will see the movie again, and I'll watch closely for more details, evidence maybe.

[@adelhmonteiro2849]

interesting......

[@justinredd9260]

Or she’s having a mental break from reality. Remember, she is a master story teller.

[@princessfly11]

OOH that's a thought! FIRST thing I thought when the neighbors came on screen was 'Are they real? 🤨' There's definitely sooomething about them.

[@michaellilley8463]

After watching this movie... I constantly imagined it as a stage play.. I imagined two enigmatic characters talking on stage... and then spinning set to show each story

[@WhytheBookWins]

Oooo that would be so cool!

[@princessfly11]

It didn't occur to me for a second that the djinn might not be real 😆 In the book, he interferes with a real live tennis match, and is recognized and spoken to by the New York City shop owners in the end. Plus this story is in a book of fairy tales. Your ideas about the significance of a djinn conjured from Gillian's mind could still be true, though: instead of imagining this interaction because she's grappling with mortality, she is drawn to a creature from the world beyond death for the same reason. Instead of her imagination getting rid of the djinn because she accepted herself and her fate, she wished him free when she didn't have to (in the book) for the same reason. In the end, to my surprise, I prefer they movie to the book because the movie felt more coherent to me. Thanks for this discussion!

[@Created2InspireU]

Same here, if the Djinn was real I would have loved to see where he went after she let him go at the end - before he returned to visit with her. And after 3 wishes completed why is he still bound to her? Or is he out granting other wishes? Loved the philosophical conversations between them about human nature and love etc. An honest connection of minds. Like more believable as a long life companion - less love affair.

[@Cuestrupaster]

The ending could also just be that she's happy with her life, and finally has everything she ever wished for, because you know, when you have a better/healthier/happier life things seems more bright/vivid...

[@WhytheBookWins]

Very true

[@annatentina1819]

When you ask someone for love, you take away their will to love you by their own choice. Also the way someone loves us isn’t always the way we want to be loved. Love can entrap. And set free. I think it’s a movie about love and how different it can be and affect us.

[@anastasialiulina8819]

I really liked your interpretation of the book because in the movie her wish for jinn to love her seemed like something he didn’t want to do, that he was suffering in her world and she should have set him free immediately

[@johnnythed1]

I just watched this movie, and thanks so much for this review. It made me cry (in a good way).

[@Darktalent1986]

I don't understand why it'd go through the entire history of the Djinn if he weren't even real

[@Devorador_de_Games]

Just saw the movie on Prime and came by your video. Great video and commentary about the book and the film! I realy wish I could have seen this movie on the big screen!

[@WhytheBookWins]

Glad you enjoyed the movie and my video! Thank you :)

[@chrissysworldtour]

Did you notice in the movie that her imaginary friend’s name was the same name of her baby under the ultrasound photo?

[@Kaiyanwang82]

Wow no, I didn't!

[@dance_martini]

Thanks for the stream

[@WhytheBookWins]

You're welcome!

[@Kaiyanwang82]

This is great. Seen the movie quite recently, I appreciate a recap and comparison with the book. I love the ambiguity, but I also think the Djinni being in her head is the most likely scenario. Good point about the "unreality" of the last scene, too dreamlike.

[@kurokajin]

Great insight into the movie and book. I just watched the movie and was full of questions. Im glad to have other opinions and ideas to bounce around in my head. I was a bit confused after the movie although I loved it!

[@WhytheBookWins]

Thanks! Glad you found the video helpful 😊 So much to think about with this movie! (And book)

[@ninjuhdelic]

Favorite movie of the year, loved all the storylines and messages

[@AnthonyOrtega-bw4kp]

Excellent review I saw the movie 2 weeks ago. It was visually stunning.

[@WhytheBookWins]

Thanks! And I agree!

[@philwilliamson3d]

Love the detailed coverage of this video, thank you. Does the movie or book explain how he came to Sheba or her court? Also, many mystic beings were in Sheba's court, how and why?

[@WhytheBookWins]

No neither does. I was curious about that too. He says he is her cousin though, so maybe that was just the time he was born into. And neither talks about other mystic beings in her court.

[@Ignashov.E]

I don’t think that the Djinn is imaginary cause those neighbours saw him and at the very end he kicked the real ball.

[@WhytheBookWins]

That's a good point...

[@AnaisKarim]

Right, he was definitely seen by other people. All of the women who found the bottle were the reincarnation of Sheba all the way to Alithea. The boy with the hair on his legs was a descendant of Sheba.

[@Kaiyanwang82]

We never see the Djinn and the neighbours in the same shot. They could just look "there" because they think Alethia is weird and don't want to upset her. Remember, they talk among themselves saying she "hears voices". Their reaction is far from being a definitive answer.

[@anotherfacelesscomment989]

I just want to know who was that Djinn at the beginning that made her faint and also was in Queen Sheba’s Royal court

[@handuong2893]

It was a really beautiful intriguing story telling movie.

[@zoepetersen6636]

oh I'm just now realising that she tells him about her imaginary friend in the movie and how she wrote all the details in a book which she later burns, and then later it shows her writing all the details about the djinn in a book. The theory of the djinn being imagined is really gaining credence for me

[@zoepetersen6636]

Whether the djinn was real or not, the ending made me sad that she never made deeper connections with other humans around her? Like surely she'd still be lonely in between his visits

[@RandomBLACKman]

The mother imprisoned the younger son with women for his protection and to ensure there was an heir to the throne.

[@WhytheBookWins]

thank you! I hadn't been certain why that was.

[@Bideksjoi]

just came across your channel.you have a new friend here.i already turned on ur bell notification,I will be coming here more often😍🥰❤️

[@mkteku]

01:35:16 (Film timestamp) Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for trying. You don't think that I love you? Love is a gift. It's a gift of oneself given freely. It's not something one can ever ask for. I tricked us both. The moment I spoke that wish, I took away your power to grant it. I, more than anybody, I should've known that. I'm not going to screw this up again. My Djinn, if this world is not for you, I wish that you return to where you belong. Wherever that may be.

[@mkteku]

Some of the wisest lines in the film. Does she say this in the book? (A 'companion' quote to 17:50 from your viddy, I suppose.)

[@WhytheBookWins]

@@mkteku there isn't a line exactly like that, but similar

[@Winterpelt]

I've been a big fan of the book for years and I'm honestly still so flabbergasted that we got a movie of it at all that I'm willing to forgive a lot of the aspects of it that I don't think work that well. Overall, the main impression I got is that George Miller really understood and was interested in the Djinn's story over Jillian's. Jillian gets really pared down in the movie (I'm still annoyed that she's more upset about her ex-husband and that their marriage ended partially due to a failed pregnancy, I thought the book's take was much more interesting) and we lose a lot of her defining character moments, like being forced to put her hand in the wishing statue's mouth or her story about why she wish for her body to "look like it did when she last really liked it" instead of when it was "perfect". I do REALLY like how much the djinn's backstory gets expanded on though, like his relationship with Zefir and the emperor who loved his storyteller. The ending didn't really work for me (but honestly neither did the book's ending lmao) and I thought that whole weak subplot about Alithea's racist neighbors could have been cut. I had actually never considered that djinn wasn't real, but I think that's a really interesting take on it! Like he's the updated version of the golden boy she dreamed up as young girl. I think ultimately we don't need a hard confirmation on it one way or another (you could make the argument that the boy was also real back then, and was the kind of spirit that the djinn describes) but I really like the ambiguity of the writing. Whether they're real or not, they still had actual tangible impacts on Jillian's life and how she expressed herself.

[@WhytheBookWins]

Thanks for sharing! I enjoyed both but as time has passed, the movie has stuck in my memory more than the book has.

[@abdulmujeebquick4452]

Djinn: Singular (One Djinn) Genie: Plural (More Than One Djinn)

[@WhytheBookWins]

Oh interesting!

[@Kaiyanwang82]

Isn't "Djinni" singular and "Djinn" plural?

[@abdulmujeebquick4452]

@@Kaiyanwang82 yess yesss thank you I mixed them up

[@Kaiyanwang82]

@@abdulmujeebquick4452 Thank you for confirming bro.

[@KellysAdventures305]

What happened to the Djinn's baby he made with Zefir?

[@user-jz4bd4fu5b]

I just saw your interesting KZbin video on ‘3K years of longing’. I saw the movie, have not read the book, and would like to share a couple comments and then ask a question. I thought the movie was great; the primary actors were excellent, a good story and dialog, supporting actors provided believable support. All in all, enjoyable. But also, the movie raised questions to ponder. A good thing. One question you discussed at length: was the Djinn real or just of Alethea’s imagination. If not real, how to explain the two short scenes where other people acknowledged seeing the Djinn? That would have to be Alethea’s imagination also. My answer is that the movie is a movie, and the director wanted Djinn’s reality to be ambiguous, intentionally. My question concerns something in the movie that you raised but didn’t dive into. At one point Alethea asks the pivotal question: ‘what to do with longing awakened?’ Did the director intend to answer ‘what women want’ by the wishes of Alethea? ‘I wish to love you; will you love me? ‘I wish you speak to me?’ ‘I wish you to go to wherever you belong’. Keep up the good work!

[@davidclifford5393]

I am wondering if the djinn could have been part of Alithea's imagination and also real as well. That kind of depends on whether you believe there is a power greater than ourselves that we can tap into as part of our inner world. The landscape in the ending scene reminded me of the Welcome screen in Windows 7 with the treeless rolling hills. Maybe that is just me. It was very helpful listening to you to discuss both the movie and the book together. Thanks. I was initially very disappointed in the ending to the movie. It made more sense after I watched the movie a second and third time. It's open ended, so I felt like I was listening to a song that just suddenly ended before it was supposed to end.

[@WhytheBookWins]

Like if she imagined him into reality? That's a cool thought! It's definitely a movie that warrants multiple views!

[@davidclifford5393]

@@WhytheBookWins I think there are things that are little minds can't grasp. Plato talked about shadows on the wall of a cave. Those are our stories and myths.

[@nobodyexceptme7794]

Great channel

[@WhytheBookWins]

Thanks!

[@davidfitzpatrick6535]

My question is if the Djinn is overwhelmed by technology whu wouldn't she move somewhere that doesn't have technology?

[@WhytheBookWins]

Yeah I thought the same thing. Ultimately I think he was in her imagination though.

[@filmtoppings]

She's some sort of scientist no?

[@WhytheBookWins]

@@filmtoppings no she's a narratologist which is someone who studies stories

[@Ashbrash1998]

Easier said then done, cause she still has to do her job and pay bills. Technology is so worldwide that I doubt a place would be ok for him.

[@knitty781]

Loved the movie. The symbolism and cinematography was glorious. On to the book.

[@WhytheBookWins]

Agreed! The book is definitely worth reading

[@mrudhulanair1989]

Hi I have a doubt what happens to Zefir's unborn baby

[@BigTone999]

The East African woman at the Airport/Van was also the same woman at the 1st Court I'm sure.

[@WhytheBookWins]

Oh interesting, I didn't notice that!

[@paylier]

Yep and Idris real life WIFE - lucky her!

[@tsukasa1608]

In Ottoman traditions a Sultan has the right to execute all other princes once he took the throne, in order to protect Prince Ibrahim Kösem locked him away so he wouldn't view as a threat by Sultan Murad IV, however this also drove Prince Ibrahim mad, and when he placed on the throne after Sultan Murad IV died he was famously known as Ibrahim the mad, there's a record of him ordered the execution of his own harem, at the end Kösem had no choice but to dethrone him and later ordered his execution.

[@JozieLeePro]

Thank you for that clarification. In the film I thought the mother locked Ibrahim in the room so that he’d create children. The older son lived recklessly. Mother didn’t expect him to die young. In order to keep the bloodline going she sequestered Ibrahim. That beautiful movie is a full of gems.

[@filmtoppings]

Literally just watched this movie haha

[@WhytheBookWins]

what'd you think??

[@IronTiger]

I watched this movie last weekend with my friend who is a Djinn and he told me it's really about drugs. I watched it again immediately afterwards and concluded he was right.

[@WhytheBookWins]

😆

[@Akkadian_V32]

😂 💀

[@qalidurut7249]

I really enjoyed the movie

[@WhytheBookWins]

Glad you liked it too!

[@OtesOtesOtes]

Thanks I listened to this so I didn't have to "pirate" the movie.

[@WhytheBookWins]

Lol nice!