Everything to know about the buzzy Dustin Hoffman film everyone’s talking about

It’s the little indie that should.

Amid all of the big, splashy premieres at the fall festivals, there was one that emerged with its own distinctive tune: Daniel Roher‘s Tuner, starring Leo Woodall (One Day, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy) and Dustin Hoffman.

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Though Tuner screened at both the Telluride Film Festival and Toronto Film Festival to a harmonious reception (it currently has a pitch-perfect 100 percent Rotten Tomatoes score; Metacritic has yet to weigh in), it still has yet to find a distributor.

Variety’s Peter Debruge calls it “the discovery of Telluride” in his review, writing that Roher’s “winsome” film “cleverly plays our emotions without resorting cheap manipulation.”

Deadline’s Pete Hammond sings the film’s praises as well. “If there is one clear thing director Daniel Roher‘s nifty narrative filmmaking debut, Tuner, proves, it is that Leo Woodall is the real deal as the next big leading man in movies.” (Indeed, he’s also earning ample buzz for his work in the upcoming Nuremberg.)

Here’s why it’s worth tuning in to Tuner:

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

The film stars Woodall as Niki, a musically gifted piano tuner who’s been working for his mentor, Harry (Hoffman), when he unexpectedly discovers an aptitude for cracking safes. What ensues is a charming rom-com — he falls for a music student, Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu) — mixed with a clever crime caper.

WHO IS DIRECTING?

Tuner is directed by Daniel Roher, making his narrative feature debut. He knows his way behind a camera — Roher helmed 2023’s Oscar-winning documentary Navalny. He cowrote the script for Tuner with Robert Ramsey.

WHO STARS IN IT?

Along with Woodall, Hoffman and Liu, the film also stars Tovah Feldshuh as Harry’s wife (his mounting medical bills spur Niki’s life of crime); Fauda’s Lior Raz as the security-chief-turned-crime-boss who harnesses Niki’s special skills; and Jean Reno as Ruthie’s mentor.