A talented piano tuner’s meticulous skills for tuning pianos lead him to discover an unexpected aptitude for cracking safes, turning his life upside down.

It would be fair to say the story beats in Tuner are somewhat familiar – guy falls in with the wrong crowd and does some nefarious side work to dig himself out of hole when he really just wants to live his life and smooch on his new girl. But the execution, tension, and performances really elevate this movie to something fresh and fascinating.

Leo Woodall (who, between this and last year’s Nuremberg is really choosing some great roles) is Niki White, a piano tuner apprentice who suffers from a hearing condition that is succinctly described as being allergic to loud noises (I feel you). He works for a veteran fixer, Harry (Dustin Hoffman), who suddenly falls ill in between his bouts of dementia. Niki starts to help some guys break into safes to help pay for Harry’s piling-up bills. In the meantime he falls for a virtuoso (Havana Rose Liu as Ruthie) he meets on one of his jobs. These stories collide in both expected and surprising ways. Niki starts to get in over his head, just as things with Ruthie start to blossom.

For being a side character, Ruthie has tremendous agency and background and isn’t just the girlfriend. Her chemistry with Woodall is fierce, especially gratifying since his remote, quiet character is so internal. Woodall is wonderful, as is Liu, and I can’t wait to see more of both of them. Hoffman is fun, albeit a bit too briefly involved, and Tovah Feldshuh as his wife is also a welcome sight.

Tuner is a tense movie. It moves along like the musical centerpiece, with a pounding crescendo, and an uneasy melody, but it is surprising and engaging in creative ways. Documentary filmmaker Daniel Roher (an Oscar winner for Navalny) ventures into his first fictional feature, but has no trouble delivering richly-drawn characters and a fully-realized story.

Jonathan’s grade – A-