No matter how much research you do, there’s always at least one movie that sneaks up on you every year at the Toronto International Film Festival. Whether you had no interest in watching it or had never even heard of it, you eventually add it to your schedule and hope for the best. Two hours later, you leave the theatre having just seen one of the most memorable movies of your lineup. For me, this year’s biggest TIFF surprise is Toronto Documentarian Daniel Roher’s narrative feature debut, Tuner. 

The stylish and introspective thriller stars Leo Woodall, memorably from Season Two of The White Lotus (2021), as Niki White, a former piano prodigy whose career was derailed when he was diagnosed with Hyperacusis as a child. His acute hearing disorder makes everyday sounds painfully loud. To stay connected to his piano-playing roots, he takes up a mentorship with Harry Horrowitz (Dustin Hoffman), an older man with a decently successful piano tuning business. 

Having a harder upbringing, Niki has a hardened exterior. He doesn’t talk much, and when he does, it’s short and sarcastic. That is, until he meets Ruthie, a talented university student with dreams of becoming a composer and musician, played exceptionally well by Havana Rose Liu. 

While their relationship slowly develops from a meet-cute gone wrong to a full-fledged romance, Harry becomes ill, causing his and his wife’s medical bills to skyrocket. Racking his brain, trying to come up with a way to make some fast cash, Niki realizes his disability is also a unique ability to break into safes. This wholly original premise escalates when Niki becomes involved with a misleading group of robbers. While far-fetched on paper, Roher pulls the high concept off with great ease. 

Thanks to Woodall and Liu, both characters come across as entirely grounded, even through all of the absurd plot points. They flirt, love, argue, and listen to each other when they have differing views, but their relationship is truly tested when the mistakes from Niki’s professional life catch up with his personal life. 

Tuner isn’t the full-fledged thriller it thinks it is, but that’s okay because the emotional stakes are far more interesting than the crimes themselves. Through his relationships with Ruthie and Harry, Niki gradually lets his guard down, revealing himself to the other characters and the audience. 

The most fascinating aspect of Tuner is the music, beautifully brought to life in multiple sequences by Woodall, Liu, Roher, and composer Will Bates. Two musical pieces in particular, one in the middle of the film, performed by Liu, and the other at the end of the film, performed by Woodall, are mesmerizing. 

Hoffman may not have as big a role as many may hope, but that doesn’t detract from the film in any way. If anything, it proves how strong everyone else is in the film. 

Perhaps not what you are expecting, but Tuner will stick with you long after Woodall plays his last note. 

Review Courtesy of Ethan Dayton

Feature Image Courtesy of TIFF