Tuner stars Leo Woodall and Dustin Hoffman as a mentee and mentor who tune pianos for many rich clientele. Their existence is subtle, just how Niki (Leo Woodall) likes it. As a child, Niki was a piano prodigy but had developed a strong aversion to any strong noises and thus, stopped playing. Still, his ears are gifted and when he runs into Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), the two are bonded by their musical talent. However, debt befalls Harry (Dustin Hoffman) and, with no other option in his mind, Niki finds that his ears can be used to rob the safes of his rich clientele.
The film mostly follows a standard script structure and features a couple of great set ups. Tuner explores the conflict that would be created by Niki’s aversion to sound in a crime world that uses a lot of loud noises (guns, planes, small explosions etc). It also has fun in its montages that explore Niki’s abilities. We get the feeling that he is destined for something more and that is why he cannot simply stand back and watch his mentor fall into debt. There are some interesting and tension-filled crime scenes with a lot of heart that’s put into the film as we feel the bonds between the team. All the acting is very good with Leo Woodall carrying his character. He fits the calm, nonchalant manner very well. The ending is a bit underwhelming and there’s some scenes in parts of the film that do not feel as interesting as many others. Still, it fills most of its runtime with lots of interesting twists and turns.
Perhaps unexpectedly, Tuner features great sound design from Johnnie Burn as he does a lot of intentional and complex work to have us hear our surroundings the way that Niki does. It becomes particular painful for us to hear how dreadful the sounds are when loud noises get in Niki’s way but it adds another layer of tension to the film.
Tuner is playing at TIFF 50. For more information, click here.
