Displaying items by tag: Havana Rose Liu

TUNER

Canada/US, 2025, 107 minutes, Colour.

Leo Woodall, Dustin Hoffman, Havana Rose Liu, Tovah Feldshuh, Lior Raz, Jean Reno, Herbie Hancock.

Directed by Daniel Roher.

In fact, there are two piano tuners, first, the young Niki, and second, the older Harry, veteran musician and tutor. Niki is played by Leo Woodall. And, the pleasure of seeing Dustin Hoffman as Harry. His is a cameo role but, in the minds of the filmmakers, his cameo is really a homage to him and his career (and, at the hospital, when asked the details of his life, the birthdate given is Dustin Hoffman’s actual birthdate).

But, Tuner begins with the characters in quite some difficulties. Niki, a young talented musician with perfect pitch, suffers from hyperacusis, finding loud noises intolerable, his having two years of therapy to try to adjust his hearing, having to wear earplugs. But, he is an expert tuner. Harry is his mentor, an old friend of Niki’s father, but his difficulty is age, also he can be very cheeky to everyone, but hospitalised and finding that he has not been keeping up his insurance payments.

Which offers the setting for something of a thriller and, when Niki encounters Ruthie (Hayley Rose Liu), a highly determined musician and composer, working on her piano, and egged on by Harry, the film is also a pleasant romance.

When Niki encounters a group of security guards one night when he is tuning a piano at the house of a wealthy client, it turns out that he has a skill in hearing the sounds as he unlocks safes. Not too unpredictable to work out what is about to happen. Our sympathies are with Niki and with Harry and his wife Maria (Tovah Feldshuh). And sympathies also with the payoffs that the security guards who target the owners of the homes they guard, just stealing enough to not draw attention to what they are up to. But, course, it can’t last. Ambitious criminals hire lower criminals to do their dirty work and a buildup to some dramatic confrontations.

In the meantime, Ruthie is working, often desperately, on her composition, intense in rehearsals, yet falling in love with Niki, it’s all building up. of course, to a dramatic conclusion and, a twist of fate in bringing the safecracking to an unexpected/expected conclusion.

New York setting, sympathetic characters, the real Herbie Hancock turning up at Harry’s funeral, and quite a lot of music, popular and concert performance throughout the film for an enjoyable thriller/romance.

1. The two tuners? Niki, memories of his father, working with Harry, Harry his mentor? The scenes of piano tuning, the skills, the sounds of the piano as a whole?
2. The New York setting, apartments, wealthy homes, diners, the music school, the auditorium? The safes, the safe breaking? The Maestro, his office, his home, the future? Hospital, recovery, Niki’s final play?
3. Niki, his age, the past, musician, hyperacusis, the impact of noise, his two years’ therapy, his wearing of earplugs? His pitch perfect work on the pianos? Demonstrating it? Seeing him at work, thorough? The interaction with clients? The bond with Harry, at home, with Maria, at the bar, Harry urging him on with Ruthie? Harry, the collapse, the visits to the hospital? Trying to support Maria?
4. The encounter with Ruthie, student, composer, her ambitions, energy, skills? The piano tuning, interactions with Niki? At the bar, carrying her books, walking her home? Influence of Harry? The gradual bonding between them, conversations, the music, her composing, practice, open to be employed by the Maestro? Falling in love? The visits to Harry? The intensity of the relationship, the clash, Ruthie and the composition, Niki’s suggestions, the falling out, the actual recital, Maria present, Niki absent, success, the Maestro, the watch, her approaching Niki?
5. Harry, tribute to Dustin Hoffman, personality, the past, musician, tuner, his death, the gathering, actual Herbie Hancock present?
6. Niki, the encounter with the security guards, interactions, his hearing, able to open safes? Their employing him, his moral dilemma, the money for Maria, the collage of opening the safes, the boss and his associates, Benny and the dog? The money, banking it for Maria? The thieves and their taking smaller items, items the owners would not notice missing?
7. The Korean gang, employing the security guards, their getting Niki, his refusal, the violence and pressure, success, the uncle arriving, forcing Niki to swallow the code? The later able to revive the code? The violence? Benny shooting?
8. The staging of the recital, Ruthie’s skill, the musicians, the Maestro, meeting her?
9. Niki, the violence, the hospital, his running to the recital, late? The issue of the watch, discussions with the Maestro, Ruthie working for him, his going to the game, recovering the watch and giving it back?
10. His recovery, the effect on his hearing, having to Ruthie again, his performance, Tenderly, his achievement? The future? And his comment that E flat was out of tune?