^{Credit: The Glassworker (Mano Animation Studios, Geo Films, Mandviwalla Entertainment)}

The Glassworker is about, among other things, craftsmanship. This passion is reflected in three figures: the titular glassworker, the violinist he loves, and Usman Riaz, who hits the ground running in his directorial debut. The Glassworker isn’t just Riaz’s first film. It’s the first hand-drawn animated feature from Pakistan. Through Mano Animation Studios, Riaz has spent the past decade not only making a film, but bringing an industry to his country. Riaz didn’t accomplish this single-handedly, receiving help from a team of talented artists, not to mention backers on Kickstarter. The Glassworker is his vision, though, storyboarding every frame.

Many will compare Riaz to Hayao Miyazaki, who similarly juggles multiple duties on his films. The Glassworker’s visual aesthetic also draws directly from Studio Ghibli. Studio Ponoc, which former Ghibli producer Yoshiaki Nishimura founded, has presented itself as the studio’s possible successor with films like Mary and the Witch's Flower and The Imaginary. With The Glassworker, though, Mano Animation has arguably come the closest to channeling the highs of Ghibli. Not just in terms of the spellbinding animation and elegant music, which Riaz also worked on. The subject matter is also cut from Miyazaki with a wartime backdrop.

The story sets itself in a fictional town as two nations go to war. We don’t know what these countries are fighting over, although the effects of war are on full display. Art may seem inconsequential as lives are lost. That doesn't stop young Vincent (Sacha Dhawan) from wanting to learn from his glassworker father (Art Malik). Vincent’s childhood love Alliz (Anjli Mohindra) distracts herself from the war as she masters the violin. Alliz and Vincent are bonded by their mutual desire to create, but the fathers jeopardize their blossoming romance. Vincent’s father is a pacifist, while Alliz’s father is a colonel (Tony Jayawardena).

It would’ve been easy for The Glassworker to make either of the fathers a one-note villain, but both are surprisingly nuanced. We understand why Vincent’s father wants nothing to do with this war, although he eventually has no choice but to get involved. Even then, the Colonel isn’t the bad guy. He’s nobly serving his country, but he can still recognize the horrors of war. Even a soldier who creates a wedge between Alliz and Vincent emerges as an unlikely war hero. Yet, The Glassworker is an anti-war film at its core, exposing its costs and no benefits.

Ironically, the one character who feels underdeveloped is its protagonist. For most of the film, Vincent is mostly an observer. That is, until the final act, when Vincent makes a few decisions that abruptly present him in a more antagonistic light. In an instant, he goes from simple to schizophrenic, making it feel like a couple of scenes are missing in his character arc. A few other moments lack proper segues. After surviving a bombing in one scene, Vincent and Alliz suddenly begin arguing about what makes a true artist.

While this shift is jarring, it does lead to a conversation that best sums up The Glassworker. Vincent views himself as a superior artist, as everything he creates comes purely from his own imagination. Alliz, meanwhile, plays compositions that others wrote, although that doesn’t mean her art should be undermined. Likewise, The Glassworker might’ve been inspired by Studio Ghibli, but it isn’t a mere imitation. You feel the care that went into every frame, from the most complex shots to the subtlest of interactions. It’s full of little touches that speak volumes.

Despite some narrative hiccups, The Glassworker is a wonderful film that achieves its aim of a grand, romantic, and atmospheric epic. The film was notably submitted for Oscar consideration last year, missing the Best Animated Feature and International Feature lineup. It seemed to get overshadowed by Flow as the independent production that could. Like Gints Zilbalodis, though, Riaz has established himself as an auteur to keep an eye on. Watching The Glassworker, I wasn’t just excited by the artistry on display, but by the potential on the horizon. Riaz has spent years mastering his craft. This shines through in The Glassworker, which will either be his career-defining work or just a warmup.

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1 and 2. Available Now!