Movie Review: Tuner (CCFF 2026)
There is something refreshingly straightforward about Daniel Roher’s crime drama Tuner. The film follows Niki (Leo Woodall), a young man who was once a gifted pianist, only for him to be diagnosed with hyperacusis. This condition essentially makes him allergic to loud noises. He wears specialized earbuds all day and puts on larger ones when he’s around louder noises like sirens. Niki has perfect pitch and works as a piano tuner with Henry (Dustin Hoffman), who isn’t Niki’s family, but might as well be, as it seems like Niki has no one else except Henry and his wife Marla (Tovah Feldshuh).
Niki has accepted that his life is what it is. He will never be able to play the piano again because of his condition, and tuning the pianos is the closest thing he’ll be to his former gift. That all changes when Henry ends up in the hospital, and Niki discovers how financially strapped Henry and Marla are. He takes a job helping a sketchy security company steal from rich people by cracking safes using his hearing ability. Niki soon finds himself and those closest to him threatened as the jobs he works start to get more dangerous.
Tuner is a movie we have seen several times before about a good-hearted man who gets too deep into something he shouldn’t be doing, but Roher executes it well. It has captivating drama, thrilling crime, a sweet and authentic romance, and even some humor, mostly coming from Hoffman’s superb performance as Harry. It has interesting characters, exciting heists, thanks in large part to the quick editing, and a central character motivation that is relatable and makes you think about what you would do in their shoes. It’s smart, exciting, top-notch filmmaking, and concludes with one of the great final scenes of the year.
Much of Tuner’s success rests on the shoulders of Woodall. Woodall is quickly rising the ranks of exciting young actors to keep an eye on, and his performance in Tuner is easily the best of his young career and one of the best I have seen in 2026. Moving like a quiet assassin, Niki is a “do the job” guy. He keeps to himself, expressing little emotion and not wanting to cause any drama. He doesn’t want to cause too much drama. He just wants to do what he must do and leave, yet he ends up in scenarios where that isn’t possible. Much of Woodall’s performance comes from his eyes and in his shoulders, showing the trauma and pain Niki is consistently going through without saying much. It’s an impressive performance from the young actor.
There’s a third act plot point that didn’t fully work for me, but that’s the only stumble I saw in the film. Tuner is an exciting and great film that features a breakout performance by Woodall.
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