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In 2023, filmmaker Daniel Roher, at just 29, accepted an Oscar for his documentary Navalny. He’d seemingly punched his ticket for the rest of his career, but then he unexpectedly found himself in a paralyzing creative standstill.
The Canadian writer-director felt a corresponding anxiety that made him ponder the terrifying question of whether he’d be ever able to create again. Fortunately, an introduction to Los Angeles-based piano tuner, Peter White, got the ball rolling on what would become Tuner, Roher’s narrative feature debut. He shadowed White throughout his day-to-day, and that experience, combined with his lingering self-doubt, resulted in the character of Niki White.
Niki, who’s portrayed by The White Lotus season two breakout Leo Woodall, is a highly skilled and intuitive piano tuner who serves as the right hand and protégé to Dustin Hoffman’s Harry Horowitz. Niki’s once-promising future as a virtuoso pianist was abruptly cut short when he was stricken with hyperacusis, a rare hearing disorder that makes one ultra sensitive to everyday sounds. He manages his condition based on the environment around him, alternating between earplugs and over-ear headphones as needed. But he no longer plays or composes music, refusing even the most informal of requests.
