Tuner

In Daniel Roher's first narrative feature film, a talented piano tuner named Niki has his life turned upside down when he discovers that his meticulous tuning skills can be applied to cracking safes.

Leo Woodall stars as the gifted young piano tuner, and he's absolutely fantastic here! Woodall definitely steals the show with his performance as Niki, which is impressive, especially since this is his first time leading a film. But, given how good Woodall actually is here, I'm sure he'll go on to have a flourishing Hollywood career.

But Leo Woodall isn't the only one who delivers a great performance; Dustin Hoffman shines as Niki's musical mentor and Havana Rose Liu is really good as Niki's potential love interest. Together, these characters help keep Niki morally grounded. And that, naturally, makes his turn to crime feel all the more interesting.

Plus, it's always nice to see Hoffman appear in something new. I'm not sure if we'll get to see him in many more films, so I definitely appreciate his presence whenever he does pop up in anything. Especially when he's as good as he is in this film! And, considering how much I  enjoy this movie, I really wish I got my hands on one of those Dustin Hoffman bobbleheads.

But Liu also delivers a really solid performance. Her character may have a predictable arc, but I like what she is able to bring to said character. So, as is the case with Woodall, I'm sure she has a very bright career ahead of her too.

And the same can be said for director Daniel Roher as well. I may not be familiar with his work as a documentarian, but I absolutely love the style, pacing, and overall aesthetic of this movie. Sure, the plot may share some similarities with Edgar Wright's Baby Driver, but there are enough differences to give the film a unique identity of its own. So I definitely want to see how Roher will continue to grow as a filmmaker.

Not only is Roher's sense of direction quite impressive, but his story is also really engaging! On top of featuring plenty of exciting sequences, his script features a surprising amount of humor and heart - enough to keep any audience member satisfied.

In other words: this is an incredibly well-made film. It's actually one of my favorite movies of the year!

Which means that Tuner would definitely get a recommendation from me.