by SARAH ROWLAND

The sexually omnivorous Louise has suddenly lost her ability to have orgasms, and it turns out that jumpstarting her out-of-commish clit requires more effort than simply recharging her state-of-the-art vibrator. Thus, her citywide libido search takes her on a journey of self-discovery and experimental cunniligus treatments.

This is the zany premise of Tout le plaisir est pour moi, the opening film at the 10th annual Cinemania film festival and one of six Canadian premieres that will showcase at the 10-day event.

In total, 22 French films subtitled in English will screen at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, including this year's bittersweet love story Clara et moi. Like Tout le plaisir est pour moi, this Parisian romcom stars Julien Boisselier opposite a boyishly cute leading lady with goat-chewed bangs and an endless supply of irresistible quirks. This seemingly light and predictable romp, however, takes a serious turn into the HIV lane. The result is an honest and understated reminder of how family issues eventually catch up to us in our adult relationships.

Les Égarés, which will be presented for the first time with English subtitles, showcases Emmanuelle Béart's ever-expanding range as an actress. Set in France during World War II, the Nathalie siren plays a panic-sticken single mother fleeing from German air raids. While hiding in the woods with her children, she meets a mentally disturbed yet resourceful hillbilly. At first she is reluctant to have this beret-sporting hick around her family, but she soon realizes he is integral to her clan's survival. The sexual tension builds between the widow and the outpatient but so, too, does his increasingly odd behaviour. Director André Téchiné doesn't just let his star rely on her genetically modified bee-stung pout; the blonde sexpot has never been more powerful than in the scene when she's soaking in a tub, and the strain of protecting her children and dodging bombs weighs heavy on her jowls and vast eyebrows.

But don't worry, there's still some really racy on-screen erotica. After all, keeping one of the sexiest women in French cinema fully clothed throughout an entire feature would be a waste of natural resources.

One of three Quebec premieres at the fest, À tout de suite is based on a true story about a bored bourgeois art student suffering from a severe case of affluenza. She hooks up with a perfectly sculpted Moroccan thug and the two flee France after he botches an armed robbery. Director Benoît Jacquot uses highly stylistic, black-and-white cinematography that resembles archival news footage of the late '70s, capturing the feel of when the actual events took place. Emotionally, he keeps the film in the same modishly cool gear, mirroring the 19-year-old's detachment to the consequences of blindly following a wanted felon.

Cinemania also features five North American premieres. Interestingly, one of these, Je suis un assassin, has a story line that just about any scribe who's ever been unable to meet a deadline can relate to: a bad case of writer's block drives the protagonist to murder.

Cinemania screens Thursday, Nov. 4 to Sunday, Nov. 14. For more info, visit www.cinemaniafilmfestival.com

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