Arriving on the cinematic scene with a bang, Daniel Roher, the 30-year-old Oscar-winning Canadian documentarian known for ‘Navalny’, keeps pushing boundaries. A year back, he tested the waters with ‘Blink’, debuted at the Telluride film festival. Now, he’s back in Colorado Rockies with ‘Tuner’, but as Roher revealed to an eager audience at its world premiere at the fest’s Galaxy theater, this one veers off his beaten path.
Roher’s shift into narrative feature filmmaking is not an isolated occurrence. Many of his colleagues, like Joshua Oppenheimer (creator of ‘The End’ which featured at last year’s Telluride), are also navigating this transition. ‘Tuner’ carries on the journey of Leo Woodall from a supporting act in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’ to a leading man, following his striking role in season 2 of ‘The White Lotus’.
In ‘Tuner’, he gives life to the character of Niki, a piano prodigy whose ascending career arc is abruptly halted by a unique hearing issue making him sound intolerant. Set against the vibrant New York City backdrop, the film also showcases Dustin Hoffman as Harry Horowitz, who is at the helm of a small piano tuning facility where Niki works.
The film presents humor-filled snippets of their everyday hustles across the city, exhibiting a mix of their eccentric clienteles – all affluent magnates – and Harry’s intriguing discourses on subjects ranging from mercury contents in tuna to health concerns beyond cholesterol. Nonetheless, ‘Tuner’ is far from an ordinary drama about two piano tuners.
The narrative unfolds a subplot around safe-cracking that it slips into smoothly, almost too smoothly. An incident finds Niki locking himself in, learning to crack open the safe of Harry’s house as a favor – an act he accomplishes conveniently given his unique hearing capabilities. An opportunity seemingly one-time only slowly finds its recurrence leading Niki into an unexpected world.
Unexpectedly, he finds himself using his newfound skill in a deserted mansion during a late tune-up session; doing a favor of cracking the safe for an ambiguous Israeli group. The leader of the group, Uri (acted by Lior Raz), endears Niki into their minor crime syndicate whose main modus operandi includes stealing cash and luxury profundities from Uri’s affluent clientele.
This scheme revolves around the idea that the thefts are so minor that the victims wouldn’t notice their loss, leading to the inevitable firing of the housekeeper and an insurance claim. Despite the seemingly flimsy strategy, there have been worse crime plots. Niki, initially hesitant, steps into the wrongdoing after discovering Harry’s overdue Medicaid bills amounting to $36,000.
Although agreeing to the tasks and even taking a cash advance, he finds himself frozen, standing silently in front of the safe during his first assignment. This hesitation is puzzling given his initial agreement, somewhat hinting at a lack of depth in the characterization of Woodall.
Niki’s affliction makes him wear noise-canceling headphones, signaling to the world to maintain their distance. Apart from Harry and his spouse Marla (Tovah Feldshuh), Niki spends most of his life in seclusion. Woodall’s quiet persona and electrifying blue eyes somewhat recall Jeremy Allen White while his agitated essence and physical appearance hark back to a younger Michael Pitt. Despite the unique amalgamation, the casting choice of Woodall leaves room for speculation.
Woodall one-ups the portrayal of the role with the awkwardly located stick-and-poke tattoos that suggest a potential art school detour in Niki’s past. However, despite this speculation and the frequent humiliation of their piano tuning profession being misconstrued as mundane, it’s undeniable that piano tuning attains a high pedestal in the privileged culture as a refined, sophisticated occupation.
Romantic undertones are evident as the story develops, marking the beginning of Niki’s relationship with music student Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu) which starts with him poetically explaining the art of piano tuning to her. Ruthie, who is seeking a fellowship with renowned composer Meissner (Jean Reno), gives a complex and layered performance that brings depth and life to ‘Tuner’.
The narrative leans towards a predictable pattern when the saga of love and crime starts to unfold. Niki begins to grapple with the dichotomy of maintaining his double life and his relationship with Ruthie. The climax sees Niki becoming victim to Uri’s blue airhorn – a tool that capitalizes on his extreme sensitivity to sound, reminiscent more so of a Jacques Audiard film.
‘Tuner’ draws parallels with Audiard’s ‘The Beat That My Heart Skipped’, confounding crime and concert piano playing, however, at times becomes too familiar and foreseeing. Its plot twists are sometimes too evident or overly coincidental yet draw back to the overarching theme of fantasy which ‘Tuner’ encapsulates.
Despite the highs and lows, ‘Tuner’ ultimately succeeds as a riveting narrative with charismatic performances, striking editing, and a nuanced handling of serious themes cloaked in light-hearted humor. Its premiere at the 2025 Telluride Film Festival was well-received, and it is now awaiting U.S. distribution.
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