What makes a Miyazaki film? The obvious answer might be iconic filmmaker 's distinctive hand-drawn animation style, but at the heart of his stories is his appreciation for the small, seemingly mundane moments of beauty and tranquility that, at the end of the day, are what make our lives meaningful. And, of course, how war rips these precious moments away from us.
In an homage to Miyazaki, groundbreaking Pakistani animated film The Glassworker channels his style, grace and politics into a visually stunning romance film that also seeks to highlight the destructive nature of war.
Ten years in the making, The Glassworker’s release was a momentous occasion in Pakistani cinema. The country’s first ever independent, hand-drawn animated feature film was the result of a decade of persistence and grit. It was debuted proudly in 2024 by the artists of Mano Animation Studios, and was Pakistan’s submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2025 Oscars. Co-founder Usman Riaz is the director, animator and co-composer behind this much-anticipated film, which pays homage to Hayao Miyazaki by channeling his beloved, comforting visual style and anti-war politics. And now, for the first time in Australia, The Glassworker is available to stream free, only .
Young glass worker Vincent with Alliz. Credit: Glassworker LLC.
The titular glassworker is Vincent Oliver, the young son of a pacifist glassworker who is homeschooled and raised to become an artisan like his father. The story follows his meeting and budding romance with Alliz Amano, a talented violinist who also happens to be the pro-military daughter of the colonel who turned Vincent’s city into a warzone.
Told mostly in flashbacks as Vincent looks at a letter Alliz sent him long ago, the film traces the challenges their connection faced due to their contrasted upbringings, incompatible politics and opposing social classes.
While Vincent’s father abhors the military and any notion of war, Alliz’s father’s life revolves around it. He is a well-respected colonel who leads his own battalion, and his authority and power stem from his grip on the brutal violence that is warfare. However, in a surprisingly tender scene, Amano is shown haggard and exhausted, seated in a chair under a portrait of his own father in military gear, seated in the same chair. The violence that dictates his life is inherited and keeps him from his loved ones – there are truly no winners in war.
Colonel Amano ponders the war. Credit: Glassworker LLC.
The setting of The Glassworker is ambiguous. While the characters are often seen in Pakistani clothes or eating gulab jamuns, their province is fictional – though the mountainous background, pashmina-style shawls and military occupation suggest contested land like Kashmir.
The hand-drawn frames are wonderfully faithful to Miyazaki’s style, constructed with loving hands as meticulous as Vincent’s own as we watch him delicately craft tiny glass structures in a process that is surprisingly accurate to glass making in real life. In other scenes, the ‘camera’ lingers on sparkling sculptures, glittering bazaars and golden sunlight lazily shining against ocean waves or through open windows. It chooses to focus on the ring of a bell as a heavy wooden door is pushed open by a visitor, or the wrinkles in the hand of a loved one reaching out to be held – moments in life that are easy to forget, and yet sometimes the most significant.
A visit to a bazaar. Credit: Glassworker LLC
It’s in these fleeting moments of beauty and sentimentality, where detail is at the forefront and dialogue exists in the background, that the film is at its best. While the story is not quite as nuanced as what you would expect from a Studio Ghibli film, the vibrant, rich animation, the magical realism and its emphasis on the beauty of human creation (and our equal propensity for destruction) is a poignant example of the iconic studio’s legacy. Though, the irony of the film’s titular character suggesting real art must create rather than imitate (a nod to AI, perhaps?) might raise some eyebrows given the film itself imitates the art style of another.
In a world where trends and movies feel more temporary than ever, in which quantity is favoured over quality and art is churned out with speed and carelessness, The Glassworker is a slow-burn labour of love which will inspire a new generation to take their time with their art and work on their craft earnestly, passionately and intentionally.
The Glassworker is available to stream on SBS On Demand.
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The Glassworker
anime • drama • 2024
anime • drama • 2024
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