The product of exhaustive research, Wavemakers is Caroline Martel’s second feature-length film. As it traces the story of Maurice Martenot, who gave his name to the electronic instrument that he perfected, the film also takes a close interest in the intimate relationship that ondists have with their little-known, mysterious and rare instrument. While the ondes Martenot, with its unique timbre, is mainly used in classical music and film soundtracks, it has also made forays into the world of rock music, as we see in the scene between Suzanne Binet-Audet and Jonny Greenwood. The Radiohead guitarist and soundtrack composer, representing, in a certain sense, the next generation of ondists, uses the ondes Martenot in some of the band’s songs and plays it on stage during concerts. A thorough dive into the history of the instrument and its potential (but uncertain) future, Wavemakers also gives vibrant homage to humanity’s creative genius and to music in general, which is, in Martenot’s words, “the most beautiful manifestation of the mind.”

Jean-Philippe Desrochers
Critic