The Glassworker (12A) |Close-Up Film Review
Dir: Usman Riaz, Pakistan/US, 2024, 98 mins
Cast (voice): Art Malik, Teresa Gallagher, Anjli Hohindra, Sasha Dhawan
Review by Carol Allen
The setting is a coastal town, where the glassworks building of craftsman Tomas (Art Malik) overlooks the beach from where he draws the sand to make his craft. A widower, whose late wife was also an artist in glass, he is training his young son Vincent (Teresa Gallagher) and we then see adult Vincent (now voiced by Sasha Dhawan), preparing for his first exhibition.
Going into flashback, as children Vincent forms a close friendship with Alliz (Anjli Mohindra), a talented young violinist. But Alliz is the daughter of Colonel Amano (Tony Jayawardena), who is in charge of the war being waged against a neighbouring state over a contested area of land (ring any bells?) While Tomas is a passionate pacifist, which brings him and his son into conflict with the military and the townspeople, who are supporting the war and then comes between the young lovers as they grow up.
While firmly on the side of the pacifist angels, the story has space for nuances. The colonel is not an evil man. He loves his family, he loves the arts and is proud of his daughter. But his choices are limited.
It’s an emotional and quite complicated story, very much a visual work of beauty celebrating the power of art but with strong images of war and destruction that give it an uncomfortable and appropriate topicality.
