Tilda Swinton says stories are vital as a fantastic new film arrives at Cannes
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Cannes (France) (AFP) – Tilda Swinton said on Saturday the world needed stories more than ever as her new fantasy fable ‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’, from ‘Mad Max’ creator George Miller, premiered at Cannes.
Swinton plays an academic who frees a djinn (played by British star Idris Elba) from a bottle she finds in an Istanbul market, who offers her three wishes.
The djinn tells him how he found himself trapped – sending the audience back through a series of fabulous folk tales reminiscent of ‘One Thousand and One Nights’ – albeit seeded with doubts about what is true and what is deception. .
Speaking at Cannes, Swinton said it suited a film “about having a variety of angles”.
“The dangerous thing about stories is when you only have one,” she told a press conference.
“It’s been so clear now, especially in the last few months that … when people only hear one story, things get really wild,” she said, apparently referring to the story. invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
“Keeping our ears and our hearts open – that’s really important,” she said.
On a lighter note, the film crew was faced with the inevitable question of what three wishes they would make if given the chance.
“I wish I had a better answer to that question,” Elba said with a chuckle.
“My second wish is that audiences take away from this film what we learn from the stories and that it’s a fairly unconventional retelling of a story.
“And my third wish would be an electric Ferrari,” he added, to laughter from reporters.
Miller is the acclaimed Australian director behind films as varied as ‘Mad Max’, ‘Babe’ and ‘Happy Feet’.
Given that his new film is a celebration of age-old myths, he was asked his thoughts on Hollywood’s current obsession with superhero franchises and whether they will last.
“Obviously the Marvel and DC Universe are basically the remnants of Greek, Norse, and Roman mythologies,” Miller said.
“They’re echoes of the past but adjusted to make sense to us and it’s no coincidence that they’re so popular and the people who make them are sincere,” he added.
There was praise in early reviews for “Three Thousand Years of Longing”, with Deadline finding Swinton and Elba “nothing less than wonderful”, although The Hollywood Reporter found it “heavy and heavy”.
The Guardian landed somewhere in the middle, saying the 77-year-old Miller had “earned the right to do whatever he wants”.
“It’s so out of fashion that there’s ultimately something slightly glorious about it,” the newspaper added.
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