‘Tuner’ Offers Unique Take on our Noisy World

Starring Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man, Chef) and Leo Woodall (One Day, Vladimir), Tuner follows Harry and Niki as they service pianos for New York City’s elite. When Niki discovers his hyper-sensitive hearing can help him crack safes, he’s pulled into a criminal ring that threatens both his career and burgeoning romance.

Niki’s experience in Tuner heightens our awareness of just how noisy the world is, and confronts why someone would go down illegal routes to solve a problem when upstanding pathways exist.

The relationship between Niki and Harry is never fully explained, but somehow Harry has become Niki’s guardian and taken him under his wing. They road trip round the city, debate generational differences and irritate each other in ways only the ones we love can.

When Harry falls ill and medical bills rise, Niki’s willing to fall in with thieves hitting the same houses he services to cover the cost.

He questions whether it’s wise, but when you see family suffering – and face the reality of the American medical system – it feels like a moral responsibility to find a way to alleviate the pain.

Harry is Niki’s advocate in an environment that doesn’t cater to the need for quiet.

The extremes of his condition mean Niki is disoriented by sounds and can’t operate in the world without some kind of hearing protection, and with that his character feels like a metaphor for modern life.

While not medically induced, we are all bombarded by so many inputs on a daily basis.

Our lives are noisy, our feeds are noisy, work is noisy and our minds are noisy. How do we protect ourselves from the onslaught?

For Niki it means earplugs 24/7 and headphones for severe conditions. For us, it might mean reducing exposure, unfollowing accounts, deleting apps and “setting our minds on things above, not on earthly things” as Colossians encourages.

Tuner is Leo Woodall at his best, bringing sensitivity to a character navigating the day with easily misunderstood struggles. It has a lot to say, but does so gently, offering something necessary and unique to screens.

Tuner is in cinemas June 11.

Feature image: Supplied