Jay Rohr
Tuner screams for an audio award that it definitely deserves. The idea of this movie not getting nominated for an Oscar, let alone any award in sound, is ludicrous. However, that same focus may crack the flick. After all, there’s more to a film than one perfect facet. The magic of this movie is how well it builds off a simple central idea to deliver a satisfying story. Still, its greatest quality may be its biggest flaw.
The plot’s main tent pole is an interesting concept. Piano tuner Niki White (Leo Woodall) is blessed and cursed with hyperacusis, an extreme sensitivity to sound. Though it enables him to discern musical notes with pitch-perfect accuracy, it leaves him unable to really inhabit the world, not to mention pursue his potential as a musical prodigy, since most sounds are blindingly painful. When his beloved mentor Harry Horowitz (Dustin Hoffman) falls ill, Niki decides to help the cash-strapped fellow by becoming a safecracker. Although uniquely able to pursue the profession, his dive into illicit lockbox opener soon carries dangerous consequences.
Tuner does a marvelous job of trusting the audience to understand events as they unfold. Rarely is anything spoon-fed to viewers. Most of the characters, as well as their relationships, are defined by watching them interact with one another. The result is getting to know the players in this compelling crime drama as their stories unfold.
More importantly, Tuner isn’t afraid to let characters have rough edges. Granted, Niki can be a little too perfect at times. For instance, he seems to become a master at safecracking in one evening of YouTube tutorials. Yet his displays of effortless genius haven’t produced many personable qualities. This wonderfully complicates the start of a potential romance with Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), who has her own delightfully flinty aspects. It isn’t love at first sight, but rather jagged edges jabbing each other until there’s a jigsaw connection.
The criminality is also refreshingly stripped of glamour. Tuner often portrays that aspect the same way one would when starting a second job. While the script by Daniel Roher and Robert Ramsey offers a sort of Jean Valjean rationale for Niki becoming a thief, at no point is that lifestyle portrayed as a step up. At risk of implicative spoilers, financial rewards never outweigh the interpersonal consequences. Unlike other flicks, which often romanticize crime, Tuner is more interested in subtly setting up the downside.
Havana Rose Liu (Power Ballad) brings an amazing abrasiveness to her part while remaining vulnerable when the moment calls for it. Leo Woodall (The White Lotus) portrays a similar person trying not to fall apart while aching for someone to collapse into. Lior Raz (Gladiator II) manages to layer a one-dimensional villain with both charisma and a constant air of menace that unsurprisingly results in viciousness. Dustin Hoffman (Megalopolis) effortlessly inhabits the role of a charming elder trying to push his apprentice into embracing life more. Tovah Feldshuh (The Walking Dead) adds a certain warmth while also serving as the quiet voice of reason that Niki should heed.
Writer-director Daniel Roher orchestrates a cinematic experience like no other. Not only is Tuner a visually satisfying flick without garish excess, but it also evokes the feel of a flick seldom felt anymore. For example, classic dramas like Touch of Evil (1958) are light on violence yet packed with compelling characters. Stories like Hell or Highwater (2016) are more about the people in them than the criminal conflicts. Still, visually graceful as the film is, the audio elements of Tuner are the real selling point, which is where things get complicated.
From a purely sound perspective, this movie is uniquely immersive. Flicks like Rabbit Trap (2025), Call of the Void (2025), and Upstream Color (2013) have toyed with segments that are as enveloping. Rarely is a whole film composed around the feel of having a character’s condition. There is a real sense of experiencing the main character’s hyperacusis that goes beyond simply turning the volume up. Tuner manages to wrap the audience entirely in sound without losing the dynamic range that makes every instance distinctive. Sure, this can make certain scenes, like Ruthie and Niki sharing a meal, a nightmare for anyone with misophonia, but that only highlights the absolute immersion. Few films literally make an audience feel a character’s condition and, by extension, their whole situation.
That said, this incredible accomplishment is a double-edged sword. Tuner works best in specific theaters with Dolby sound systems that enable maximum audio performance. Dolby Digital, as well as Atmos in theaters, utilizes specialized equipment, amplifiers, processors, and speakers so that each sound gets its own channel for ideal output. Consequently, the only way to truly experience the best quality version of Tuner is to see it in theaters with such systems.
It’s highly unlikely this film will translate well to streaming and home viewing. Anyone in the last decade or more has undoubtedly noticed audio issues such as dialogue being whisper-quiet, then any explosions or music sharply becoming ear-bleedingly loud. There are a variety of reasons for this, which makes it hard to imagine Tuner won’t fall victim to the same situation. The result is a clever film that will likely lose its most amazing aspect, meaning those who stream it will simply have to enjoy a character-driven crime drama.
The consequences there could be that nitpickers will shred the flick over details that are easily ignored. Tuner isn’t without flaws, but none seem consequential. The cast, script, and cinematic stylization all come together to create an immersive audio experience like no other. This is a quiet crime drama that moves at a steady pace, one that it never sacrifices for empty thrills. It’s well worth seeing in cinemas, though the places where it can be experienced the best are limited. In all probability, Tuner may join the ranks of seldom-seen award-winners; few home watchers will be able to appreciate why it won.
