As far as Thursdays go, Black Bear had one of the best ones. In the early morning hours, the company’s Clint Bentley-directed film Train Dreams snagged four Oscar nominations including best picture. Hours after the good news, Black Bear principals like CEO Teddy Schwarzman and partner and president Michael Heimler hit the Sundance red carpet to support Oscar winning filmmaker Daniel Roher at the well-received festival debut of Tuner starring Dustin Hoffman and Leo Woodall. They closed the night by hosting an intimate dinner in honor Roher and Tuner at Park Avenue mainstay High West Saloon.
And as far as festivals go, Roher is also having one of the best ones, too. The director, last here with Navalny, not only brought Tuner to Sundance but will also stick around to support next week’s world premiere of his other new film, The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist. But it was during the Thursday showing of Tuner that Roher took the stage inside Eccles Theatre to introduce the film and dedicate the Sundance premiere to the late Rob and Michelle Reiner. During the Black Bear dinner, The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Roher to talk about the Reiners and why he was so inspired by Rob both as a filmmaker and as a human being: “I so admired his politics and advocacy work and his care for the world. He used his stature for good, truly, and lived by his values.”
You dedicated today’s Sundance premiere to Rob and Michelle. Can you tell me about that moment and why you decided to do that?
I was just a little pixel in the giant mosaic, the giant mural that was Rob and Michelle’s life. We had a couple of dinners together, and every time I was around Rob and got to spend time with him, it was just electrifying. He was one of my heroes. The heart in his work, the love and care in his films and how his films feel, that’s exactly how he was as a human being — curious and engaged. I met him at a dinner party and we just locked in. There were 15 people around the table, and he and I went off on our own for two hours. It was so amazing.
How did he help your creative process on Tuner? I heard he gave notes?
He was very encouraging about Tuner, and very encouraging when I was transitioning to fiction films. Also, when my wife premiered her film, Your Monster, here at Sundance, a couple of shitty reviews came in, he was really supportive. He said, “Fuck those guys.” I say that with love. He said that critics never liked his movies and they didn’t like Stand By Me when it came out. “Just keep doing it,” he said. “Keep making films that feel right to you.” That was so meaningful and empowering to us coming from one of our heroes. I really hope that when people watch my films, there’s an inkling of magic that he had in his movies, and that they can make people feel the heart and the soul. His loss is beyond words shocking.
Is there a note on Tuner that was particularly helpful or changed the film?
Rob talked a lot about music and the score. He suggested keeping it musical and keeping it propulsive. That’s exactly what I tried to do. It’s sad for me because he never got to see the movie. I would’ve been really nervous to show it to him, but he really loved my last film, Navalny. We bonded over that. I also got a chance to share my opinion with him that he has the best five films in a row of any filmmaker. This is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery,A Few Good Men. It’s an extraordinary run.
I so admired his politics and advocacy work and his care for the world. He used his stature for good, truly, and lived by his values. Those are all the reasons why I wanted to dedicate the screening to Michelle and Rob because even though I was just such a small morsel in their lives, the fact that I to share time and space with them was gigantic for me.
Speaking of runs, you’re on a great one. You won an Oscar for Navalny, made a narrative debut on Tuner, which is screening here at Sundance along your new documentary, The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist. You’re about to leave for Italy to shoot a big Netflix movie, Positano, with Matthew McConaughey and Zoe Saldaña. That’s quite a run, Daniel …
I like to stay inspired and stay busy. I was just with my DP [Lowell A. Meyer], and we’re shot listing for our next movie from his condo here in Park City. He said to me, “Hey, should we go to the filmmaker party?” And I’m like, “Dude, this is the filmmaker party. We are at the filmmaker party.” I really am so inspired by this work and the singular miracle of my life — after meeting my wife and having our son — that I get to do this. For 10, 12 years, you make $40,000 a year and you live at home until you’re 25. It’s a dream that if you keep at it, then maybe one day you might be able to make a living. Now, to be in this moment, it feels simultaneously like an unbelievable miracle but I also feel so dialed in and ready for it. I feel empowered and I really just have so much gratitude.
Tuner hits theaters May 22 from Black Bear.
