How Tuner Director Daniel Roher Created a Timeless Film

      Daniel Roher's *Tuner* has the feel of a classic film: It features an engaging premise (a young piano tuner discovers that his talents can be applied to safecracking), a love story, and even the presence of Dustin Hoffman, a veteran in the genre of capers.

      When I mentioned to Roher that I assumed the film was directed by a more experienced individual, he expressed his delight.

      “I’m blushing,” said the 32-year-old director. “That’s amazing. No, that’s just youthful energy and naivete that you're mistaking for experience.”

      *Tuner* is a product of Roher’s early achievements. In 2023, he received the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for *Navalny*, which focuses on Russian activist Alexei Navalny and his costly opposition to Vladimir Putin. Roher accomplished this at the age of 29.

      On set of *Tuner*, Dustin Hoffman and director Daniel Roher. Photo by Alan Markfield.

      “I entered filmmaking through cinema, inspired by icons like Scorsese, Tarantino, Fellini, and Mike Lee — my cinematic heroes. So the thought was always there: ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing to create a film?’ That was my dream, but I didn’t know how to achieve it or what would be the right opportunity.

      “Fast forward: I make *Navalny*. That film opened several doors for me, allowing me the incredible chance to consider, ‘What kind of career do I want? What type of artist do I want to be?’”

      He concluded it was time to embark on creating his first narrative feature.

      Roher was raised in Toronto and later attended the Savannah College of Art and Design. He produced a number of documentary shorts and a feature before gaining recognition with *Once Were Brothers*, a documentary about Robbie Robertson and The Band that premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. He followed that with *Navalny*, which premiered at Sundance in 2022.

      The success of *Navalny* caught the attention of the late Rob Reiner, who provided feedback on the *Tuner* script. During the film’s Sundance premiere, Roher dedicated the screening to Reiner and his wife, Michelle, who had passed away just weeks prior.

      “Rob advised me, ‘Make the movie fun,’” Roher shared at the screening. “Create something that people want to see, make it entertaining. Add depth, but keep it lively.”

      This could explain the lighthearted craftsmanship of *Tuner*, reminiscent of Reiner's collaborations with screenwriter William Goldman, like *The Princess Bride* and *Misery*, which flow with delightful precision.

      Roher was inspired to create *Tuner* after meeting Los Angeles piano tuner Peter White, who is much younger than many in his field. The film delves into this dynamic by pairing Niki (a captivating Leo Woodall) with his mentor and father figure, Harry (Hoffman, visibly enjoying his role). In classic screenwriting fashion, Roher realized that adding a criminal aspect would enhance the story's appeal.

      “I love the ethical dilemmas in crime narratives,” he states. “I appreciate a protagonist committing wrongdoings for the right reasons.”

      While screening *Navalny* at the Croatian film festival Ponta Lopud in 2022, Roher discovered that Joel Coen and Frances McDormand would be hosting invitation-only discussions. Although he wasn't invited, he attended Coen's talk anyway — “because I wasn’t going to miss that,” he explains.

      He recalls asking Coen how he starts writing a film.

      “His response was, ‘Well, usually, we write the first page, then the second, and repeat that process. We create a scene, return the next day, and continue until we shape the first act, repeating that method until the film is complete.’

      “In a way, this clarified the process for me,” Roher shares. “I don’t think he was being condescending. He was simply answering the question as best he could. It's like Sutton’s Law — the simplest answer is often the correct one.”

      He adds: “While writing the screenplay, having not done so since I was 15 or 16, I found my self-doubt clashing with my determination to finish. On one side of my mind, I had an internal voice questioning, ‘Who the heck are you to be doing this? Think of all the people at a Coffee Bean writing better scripts than you. Do you really think yours will be good? Just give up. People appreciate your documentaries. You have a solid path. Why venture into this?’

      “And then on the other side,” he gestures to the other hemisphere, “it was like, ‘Nah, you may as well see it through. Complete it.’ For me, both sides are strong motivating factors.”

      Another connection to the Coen brothers: Roher co-w