Daniel Roher’s breakout documentary “Navalny,” revolving round Russian opposition chief Alexei Navalny and occasions associated to his poisoning, earned the filmmaker his first Academy Award. However what occurs, when you’ve gotten reached the top of success proper out the gate? What aim do you fly in direction of subsequent? In Roher’s case, he delved into a singular narrative world making a story of a proficient piano tuner’s (Leo Woodall) meticulous expertise main him to find an sudden aptitude for protected cracking whereas turning his life and everybody round him the other way up. The end result was “Tuner.”
On a fast break through the 2025 Toronto Worldwide Movie Competition as this now-in-theaters movie was doing the rounds, Roher mirrored on his earlier Oscar win, the occasions that led him to creating a criminal offense thriller tackling parts of hearing-impaired characters and melting it with romance, all whereas embracing his personal journey of self-discovery.
You felt like after profitable the Greatest Documentary Function Academy Award for “Navalny,” your profession was carried out. Why is that?
There’s quite a lot of stress that comes with reaching a lot, in my case, at such a younger age. How do you observe up a movie like “Navalny”? How do I observe up profitable an Oscar compounded by the truth that I used to be in a head area the place routinely I’d have well-wishers with good intentions saying, “How are you going to observe this one up…Wow, it is best to simply retire now…There’s no beating this one.”
As well-intentioned these feedback might have been, it made me very anxious. When you have a look at the historical past of who’s received the Academy Award for Greatest Documentary Function, you realize there’s a sample of individuals profitable that award who’re struggling to deal with it and work out what to do subsequent. Consequently, I coped with that unknowingness and the looming specter that was this film, this award and the legacy of Navalny. That’s once I began writing “Tuner”. I type of channeled a few of the concern and anxiousness I used to be having about what subsequent into this challenge.
Speak to me concerning the means of casting Leo Woodall and Havana Rose Liu.
I believe it was necessary you had two individuals that might really play the piano, apart from they couldn’t play once we began. When you have a look at Leo’s comfortability across the instrument, not simply in enjoying, however in tuning, opening the lid, pulling out the important thing motion, and many others., all of those expertise he needed to purchase and grasp. He had zero piano enjoying expertise once we began.
Now, Havana had perhaps grade six piano, center faculty piano expertise, however she hadn’t performed in years. So, each Leo and Havana needed to actually grasp the items within the film in a compelling, actual approach to look good on digicam, which they each did. Now, casting a romance is at all times difficult. It’s essential discover two individuals who have chemistry, who look nice subsequent to 1 one other and a pair the viewers is rooting for. Leo is clearly an rising heartthrob and one of many nice actors of his technology, doubtless. Havana naturally possesses the self-discipline, the ability, expertise, drive, dedication, and ambition that was written on the web page on this character, Ruby. It’s nearly as if when I discovered Havana, I used to be, like, this girl who I invented, who and it’s actually particular if you discover an actor who so intently mirrors that best.
We all know Dustin Hoffman is an Oscar winner who comes from the Broadway stage and Tovah Feldshuh has been a Broadway star for 50 years. Each are exemplary and it was so rewarding to see them on this challenge. The actual fact this was sort of set within the New York-ish space with these two theater legends, in a narrative actually about one thing that’s taking place on the stage was actually cool.
I’ve observed the distinction between actors who emerge from the stage versus actors who’re native to movie is that actors who emerge from the stage are much less afraid of enjoying. An actor like Dustin views the idea of a take as a chance to strive new issues. While you inform an actor like Tovah or like Dustin to simply play and discover, you’ll undoubtedly discover stuff you by no means anticipated or dreamed of, and that’s the miracle of an actor like these two.
You need to give them the chance to improvise, to flex that muscle, and have the pliability because the director and the author to say, “Don’t fear about my phrases, that’s when actually particular strains and expressions and concepts emerge.
The way in which you filmed Leo Woodall safecracking, the cylinders, how they clicked and the way sound was its personal character throughout the confines of this piece. Are you able to simply converse to why you selected to inform the story in that manner? We might’ve watched him crack a protected and no one would care, however the way in which it was filmed and executed was completely sensible.
I’ve at all times felt like sound is probably the most underutilized of the cinematic palette. For the reason that Nineteen Twenties, films have been sound and pictures, with photos at all times taking middle stage. It’s a visible medium first, and I’ve at all times refuted that. It’s a sound and picture medium. But it surely’s not widespread apply to consider the sound design, about how the sound and the auditory motifs in a film can contribute to the emotional, experiential, visceral palette of watching movie.
On this movie, I wished to put in writing a narrative that was sound-oriented and sound ahead focusing meant to reflect a few of my favourite films. If you concentrate on the nice sound films from historical past, movies like “The Dialog” by Francis Ford Coppola, Brian De Palma’s “Blow Out” or Darius Marder’s “Sound of Steel,” these are films that put the sound forward-facing and make them as necessary when it comes to a personality. That’s what I sought to do with “Tuner,” to create a visceral expertise the place audiences might hear the film as a lot as they see the film.
Once we discovered Johnny Burn, who I consider to be probably the most proficient sound designer, a sound thinker, sound wizard, who actually nailed down the sound combine, which simply introduced the movie to life. I felt like Dr. Frankenstein in my laboratory and Johnny was turning his knobs and dealing his magic. The monster on the desk, which was the movie, you realize, sat up and got here to life and for me, that was, like, an unbelievable expertise.
I really feel like there’s so many various issues throughout the confines of the movie. There’s one thing for everyone. Congratulations.
This actually means a lot coming from you guys. One of many highlights of my TIFF going expertise was assembly Roger Ebert once I was 14 round 2009. In a sea stuffed with celebrities, he was the man who I used to be most nervous and excited to go shake his hand and say hi there. He was very form to me.
Produced and distributed by Black Bear Photos, “Tuner” opened in restricted launch on Could 22, 2026, increasing wider this Friday, Could 29, after having earlier premieres through the 2025 Telluride and Toronto Worldwide Movie festivals.
