Dustin Hoffman and Leo Woodall Bring the Noise in Daniel Roher’s “Tuner

Director Daniel Roher premiered his first narrative feature, Tuner, on January 22, 2026, at the Eccles Theatre during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The film, which debuted in the Spotlight category, marks a significant departure for Roher, who previously established his career through documentary filmmaking, including the film Navalny, which premiered virtually in 2022.

Before the first screening, Roher expressed deep emotion regarding his first in-person appearance at the festival. He dedicated the screening to his mentor, Rob Reiner, and Reiner’s wife, Michelle, noting the influence of Reiner’s professional guidance during the production of the film.

There’s a non-zero chance. There’s a lot going on in the world, people. Daniel Roher

Roher noted that he had been reflecting on a specific piece of advice from Reiner to create something people want to watch, a philosophy that guided the development of the project.

Plot and Sound Design

Set in New York City, Tuner follows the story of Niki, played by Leo Woodall. Niki is a gifted piano tuner who lives with an extreme auditory sensitivity that renders the world permanently too loud. To manage this condition, he wears hearing aids, at one point joking, It’s hot, right?

The production utilizes sound as a central narrative tool, employing sharp shifts in texture and volume to immerse the audience in Niki’s sensory experience. This technique is designed to make environmental noise feel invasive and painful, mirroring the protagonist’s internal struggle.

Niki earns a living by tuning pianos for a clientele described as the rich, bored, and self-absorbed, often being asked to perform unrelated tasks like plumbing while he works. However, the plot shifts when it is discovered that Niki possesses an uncanny ability to crack safes. This talent draws him into a dangerous security operation managed by a character named Uri, portrayed by Lior Raz.

As Niki enters this new environment, he must navigate a world that is more morally compromised and riskier than his previous life, moving from the quiet precision of piano tuning to the high-stakes noise of criminal activity.

Cast Performances and Dynamics

Dustin Hoffman stars as Harry Horowitz, an aging piano tuner who serves as a reluctant mentor to Niki. Hoffman’s performance was met with strong reactions from the Eccles Theatre audience, balancing comedic timing with a bruised tenderness. His character represents the narrow gap between professional success and obscurity.

Roher admitted during a Q&A session that he had no prior experience working with actors, stating that They seemed strange to me. Despite this, Roher described Hoffman as an unintimidating presence on set. Roher recalled that Hoffman treated the director with significant respect, frequently calling him sir and boss, as if Roher were the one receiving his big break.

The film’s emotional weight is further supported by the character of Ruthie, played by Havana Rose Liu. Ruthie is described as a searching presence who forms a tentative and intimate bond with Niki. Their relationship provides a grounding element for the story as the plot moves into darker, more bleak territory.

Creative Inspiration and Direction

Roher revealed that the concept for the film was inspired by a real-life piano tuner who is a friend of his wife. He expressed a desire to avoid being pigeonholed into a single genre or style of filmmaking, comparing his pivot from documentaries to narrative features to the moment Bob Dylan went electric.

The film explores themes of how desperation and luck can overlap and the ease with which an individual can fall in with the wrong crowd while attempting to survive. This thematic depth is reinforced by a throbbing score that emphasizes the movie’s core focus on the power of sound.

The premiere concluded with sustained applause and a palpable buzz among the audience, who reacted with laughter and gasps to the story’s twists. By blending humor with bleakness, Roher’s first narrative effort seeks to challenge the expectations of his previous work.