What does it take to be an expert safecracker? Oddly enough, the same skills that it takes to be someone who tunes pianos. Patience, calm, the ability to listen and hear things that others either can’t or won’t. Not exactly traits in plentiful supply these days, but they are at the heart of Daniel Roher’s (Navalny) first narrative feature, Tuner, which screens at Sundance this week.
Black Bear Pictures has dropped the first trailer for Tuner, which stars Leo Woodall as a gifted former pianist who must give it up due to hyperacusis. The rare hearing condition causes a hypersensitivity to sound and an intolerance for environmental noise. Taking a job as a piano tuner, he comes under the tutelage of a veteran piano tech played by the great Dustin Hoffman, and finds that his skills are suddenly in demand by the criminal element.
The footage suggests a surprisingly intimate, sweet story of friendship between two men whose entire lives are centered around listening to the world around them. It’s also a nifty little crime thriller, too. Also in the cast are Havana Rose Liu, Jean Reno, Lior Raz, and Tovah Feldshuh.
Tuner gets a limited theatrical release on May 22nd, with an expansion one week later.
