‘Komada: A Whisky Family’ has the complexity of a bottom-shelf bottle

An awkward blend of documentary and melodrama hobbles “Komada: A Whisky Family,” a new anime film about a small whisky distillery in rural Japan.

The film is the latest production by anime studio P.A. Works, which centers its content on places of, well, work. For example, 2014’s “Shirobako” was a fun and engaging dive into what it’s like to work behind the scenes on an anime series. “Komada” does the same for whisky production, minus the fun and engaging part.

The film kicks off as Kotaro (voiced by Kensho Ono), a peevish young news site editor, is assigned a series of stories about whisky. He’s set to write about Rui (Saori Hayami) who, despite her youth, is the CEO of a distillery called Komada and a rising star of the whisky scene. Rui’s dream is to revive Komada’s flagship tipple, Koma, which financial circumstances forced them to stop making years earlier, back when her father was in charge.

Kotaro, who has no interest in whisky (or, seemingly, his job) sulks through the first few days with Rui while learning the basics about making whisky. Bad attitude aside, it’s clear he’s supposed to serve as a stand-in for the audience, asking the obvious questions so Rui and other whisky experts can explain how things are done. Thus follows a series of lectures on grains, distillation, casks and blends.

A lot of exposition, but OK: The idea of an animated documentary is actually kind of interesting. However, about 20 minutes in, “Komada” seems to lose confidence in its original premise, instead veering into overripe melodrama. Things heat up between Kotaro and Rui when he accuses her of growing up with a silver spoon in her mouth — leading to a slap heard ’round the distillery. Turns out Komada is actually in dire financial straits and Rui may be forced to sell it to a major manufacturer (which happens to be represented by her older brother). Things go from bad to worse when a fire destroys much of the distillery’s stock. Kotaro, who has realized the error of his ways, Rui and her employees must then band together to try to save their beloved workplace and whisky.

Fights, tears, sibling rivalries, explosions, a grumpy old man who turns out to have a heart of gold — it’s all here, and all accompanied by music that’s as subtle as a swig of Jack Daniel’s. For a film ostensibly aimed at people over the drinking age, “Komada” deploys the kind of tired plot points that would only work if you’ve never seen a motion picture before.

And for a film about artisanry, “Komada: A Whisky Family” displays little of its own. Every scene, whether set outdoors, in bars or distillery warehouses, features the same flat, washed-out lighting. The movements of both the camera and characters are stiff, and the dialogue is so mechanical that it sounds like it belongs in the listening section of a language test.

Most anime films rely on a hook to appeal to younger audiences, like teenage protagonists or fantastical elements, and it’s rare to see movies centered around the working lives of adults. That’s part of what makes “Komada” such a frustrating experience. In surer hands, it might have been a compelling story about the real kind of drama that unfolds in a workplace, or simply an educational introduction to the world of whisky production. As is, it’s hard to find a worthy drop here.