Tuner

Leo Woodall proves himself as a leading man in Daniel Roher's confident and engaging narrative debut.

“Tuner,” the directorial debut of Oscar-winning documentarian Daniel Roher, has a familiar premise. A seemingly sweet and gifted introvert with hearing issues is thrust into a life of crime. That’s Edgar Wright’s “Baby Driver.” While both “Tuner” and “Baby Driver” have several more similarities, including the use of sound and music, Roher’s movie isn’t derivative.

Nik White (Leo Woodall) is an apprentice piano tuner, working under the wing of his mentor and family friend Harry Horowitz (Dustin Hoffman). He suffers from hyperacusis, which causes his ears to be hypersensitive to everyday sounds. While he was once on the path to becoming a pianist, he was forced to leave that life as his condition worsened.

There are benefits to his condition, including that his sensitive hearing has helped him become a mean safecracker. When Harry’s health takes a turn for the worse, Nik is willing to resort to desperate measures to earn money. Or steal it. Which is what he does when he crosses paths with Uri (Lior Raz) and his team of thieves.

As Nik embarks down a dark path, he begins a relationship with Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), a piano prodigy in her own right. Nik desperately wants to break free of Uri’s hold, but not only is he making money, but he also wants to take advantage of his newfound talent.

Roher has previously proven himself to be an accomplished filmmaker in the non-fiction space; after all, he won his first Academy Award at 29 years old for “Navalny.” “Tuner” shows that he has a voice in the narrative space as well. The brisk editing style and the immersive sound design transport you into the mind of Nik in such an effective way. Despite the fact that our hero isn’t the most talkative or emotive guy in New York City, we are able to learn a lot about him thanks to Roher’s artistic choices.

It also helps that Woodall is wonderful in his first leading man role. Before “Tuner,” Woodall was best known for his work on the small screen or snagging supporting roles in smaller movies. He proves himself as a talented movie star as Nik. He’s unconventionally charismatic, has sex appeal, and is completely believable.

Liu, a fellow rising star in her own right, is given a few standout moments that make her character more than just your conventional crime movie love interest. It also helps that she has effortlessly smooth chemistry with Woodall. It is also always nice to see Hoffman back on the big screen again, especially in a role that, despite small screentime, leaves an impression as you walk out of the theater.

Movies like “Tuner” don’t play on the big screen nearly as much as they used to; most recent films of this kind head straight to streaming or are adapted into a more long-form “prestige” series. Roher seems fully aware of that fact, making “Tuner” as cinematic as possible. From the first 10 minutes, you can tell that this was made to be seen in the theater with a great sound system.

Certain beats in the third act do start to take you out of the story, especially compared to the grounded nature of the first two acts. But it culminates beautifully in the final few minutes with one of the most impressive and emotionally satisfying closers you’ll see in a movie this year.

Since becoming a distributor, Black Bear Pictures has not had an easy road. The company has been around for over a decade now, having built a solid producing resume, including movies such as “Train Dreams” and “Sing Sing.” Their first movie as the sole distributor, “Christy,” earned decent reviews but had a disastrous box office performance. Even a safe bet like the Jason Statham-led “Shelter” failed to make much noise. “Tuner” has the makings of a sleeper hit, and hopefully, it can steer the ship for them.

The summer movie season is just heating up and shows no signs of slowing down with tentpole flicks like "Disclosure Day,” “Backrooms,” and “Scary Movie,” sure to make some noise in the coming weeks. But that doesn’t mean a movie such as “Tuner” should go under the radar. It’s skillfully directed, immersive, and wholly engaging entertainment.