Of all the things that didn’t happen, this one didn’t happen the most. But, hey, enjoy. It’s a story worth telling, even if -as I describe- it sounds ridiculous.
Niki (Leo Woodhall) suffers from hyperacusis. This is a disorder in which everything is louder. A person suffering from hyperacusis can hear you breathe … from another house. Niki wears noise-cancelling headphones 24/7 to deal with his condition. He has to or noise will eat him alive.
Niki and Harry (Dustin Hoffman) are piano tuners. This seems like a good profession for Niki. I think I’d imagine he’d have a profession that involves quiet, and it’s got to be quiet to tune a piano properly. Although, ideally, I think he’d have a profession in which there were no noise at all, but hey, we’re gonna pretend he has perfect pitch and his sensitivity to noise has made him the greatest pianist since Mozart. Sure, why not?
While tuning alone at a concert hall, Niki meets Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), which gives them both something to do for the rest of the film. But the two big moments come right after: Harry meets serious illness, racking up a huge medical bill in the process, and Niki discovers he’s a natural safe cracker, because of course he is. And – wouldn’t ya just know it?- one evening he’s tuning a piano late just as professional thieves who suck at safe cracking just happen to be making enough noise three stories up to bother the piano Tuner.
It takes very little 
time for these folks to combine skill sets and soon enough young Niki is a professional thief. SMH.
You know the part that disturbs me the least here? The fact that Harry’s medical bills have directly led to Niki’s life of crime. This is being a 21st century American. I’d love to blame this on Trump, but truth is, Americans have been needlessly going bankrupt from medical bills for decades. Although, let’s face it, Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” made everything worse. So, yeah, that asshole does deserve part of this.
The coincidental nature, and how easily “good kid” Niki turns to crime, is what bugs me. It’s like the plot was derived entirely out of recognition of the disorder. I mean, what’s the difference between this and a film in which a person suffering from bulimia just happens upon a criminal endeavor where the bad guys just happen to be in need of bile?
That all said, I liked Tuner. Leo Woodhall is a little stiff in this role, but I understand him seeing his character as one who lives in a shell and deliberately approaches everything in a subdued manner; that could well come from the condition. My bottom line is if you can buy into the plot, this film is moving and you should be able to sympathize with the hero without issue. The problem I had was buying into the plot; it sounds sillier and sillier the more I consider it.
There once was a young man named Nik
Great hearing through perfect pitch was his trick
With such sensitive hearing
Cracking safes became his thing
And now he’s so in over it’ll make you sick
Rated R, 107 Minutes
Director: Daniel Roher
Writer: Daniel Roher. Robert Ramsey
Genre: Things that seem real, but didn’t happen
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Hyperacusis sufferers
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Professional safecrackers
