The Piano Tuner (ANDHADHUN 2018) A French short-film with English Subtitles

Summary

A once-promising pianist, devastated after failing the Bernstein competition, has given up performing and become a piano tuner. He tells people he is blind, but his contact lenses reveal that the blindness is an act. He has discovered that clients behave more openly around someone they believe cannot see them, allowing him to eavesdrop and observe their private lives.

The deception is both profitable and darkly comic. His boss is baffled that the order book has doubled, while the tuner explains that customers trust him and share more than they otherwise would. A grimly absurd story about the Taj Mahal adds to the film’s uneasy humor.

The mood shifts when the tuner visits a woman who says her husband failed to tell her about the appointment. After initially refusing to let him in, she guides him through a room under renovation, where plaster has been spilled. He ends up changing into her husband’s clothes while his own are dealt with—and realizes his diary is still in his pocket, a dangerous reminder that he can see.

As he tunes the piano, he tries to maintain the blind act and avoid turning around. The woman has been motionless behind him, and he begins to fear she may be a threat. He keeps playing, convincing himself she cannot hurt him while the music continues—until the scene cuts off with a sudden exclamation.

Characters

• The piano tuner and former piano prodigy
• His boss or colleague at the tuning business
• The woman at the house
• The woman’s husband, mentioned but not seen in the subtitles