TIFF 2025: Tuner Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

At just 28 years young, Toronto-born documentarian Daniel Roher already reached the pinnacle of nonfiction filmmaking, winning an Oscar for his fearless and deeply human documentary Navalny, which followed the life of Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny. Before that, he made a strong impression with Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band, which opened the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and firmly established him as one of the most exciting new voices in documentary cinema. Now, after conquering the doc world at such a young age, Roher is setting his sights on new territory with his narrative feature debut, Tuner.

The film stars Leo Woodall as Niki White, a former piano prodigy who quit performing after developing a rare hearing condition that causes him to perceive every sound in painful, magnified detail. He now channels that acute sensitivity into his work as a piano tuner, mentored by his surrogate grandfather Harry Horowitz (Hoffman). Niki’s life takes an unexpected turn when he meets Ruthie (Liu), a gifted young pianist preparing for a career-defining concerto performance. As the two begin to form a tender connection, Niki inadvertently becomes involved with a crew of thieves who discover that his hyper-attuned hearing can help them crack safes and steal from the rich.

Clearly inspired by 1970s crime dramas like Dog Day Afternoon, but infused with a modern, playful energy reminiscent of Richard Linklater’s Hitman, Tuner is a taut, stylish, and consistently fun crowd-pleaser that just about anyone will enjoy. Many documentary filmmakers bring traces of their nonfiction sensibility into their narrative work, but Roher’s shift feels like a complete reinvention. If his name weren’t attached, one would never guess it was helmed by the same director as Navalny. While the film doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it is executed with such confidence and precision that it’s hard to believe this is Roher’s first scripted feature. Also co-writing the screenplay with Robert Ramsay, another first-time feature writer, the result is a script packed to the brim with sharp, witty dialogue. The pacing is tight, the tone is deftly balanced between tension and levity, and the characters are given just enough shading to feel real and not just like caricatures.

Ultimately, what truly makes Tuner stand out is its exceptional cast. Woodall, who has been steadily rising within the past few years, delivers a career-making performance, proving he has the presence and charisma of a future movie star. He brings a quiet intensity and emotional vulnerability to Niki, and treats his hearing condition with a tremendous amount of care, turning him into a very compelling lead character. His chemistry with Liu feels genuine and heartfelt, and their relationship adds warmth and emotional weight to the film. Liu, in her own right, offers up her strongest performance yet, turning what could have been a mere secondary role into a fully realized, complex character. Finally, it is a pleasure to see Hoffman return to the screen after years away; though the role of Henry is small, he brings an effortless authenticity and gravitas that enrich his scenes with Woodall.

Slick, heartfelt, and bursting with energy, Tuner marks a confident and fully-formed debut for Daniel Roher as a narrative filmmaker, one that proves his storytelling instincts extend far beyond the documentary form.

still courtesy of Elevation Pictures

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Tristan French