by MATTHEW HAYS

Last year, young Canuck actor Luke Kirby became one of the most recognizable new cultural commodities in Quebec, after his starring turn in the film version of Steve Galluccio's runaway hit play Mambo Italiano proved a highlight of the adaptation. As the central conflicted gay character, Kirby played the role well, never overdoing what could have been stupid caricature.

In Peter Wellington's latest feature, Luck, which opens this Friday, March 26, Kirby is virtually unrecognizable. In a turn that is clear evidence of his versatility, Kirby plays a down-on-his-luck 28-year-old, desperate to keep the love of his girlfriend, played by the ubiquitous Sarah Polley. Kirby soon finds himself caught up in the trap of a nasty gambling debt. Set in 1972, this is an often hilarious character study, a film that Wellington handles extremely well. The film was a hit at last year's World Film Fest, with good reason.

Those with a cynical eye towards our new Prime Minister (that would be Paul Martin) would do well to check out the world premiere of Waiting for Martin: In Search of a Virtual Politician, a new documentary by veteran shitdisturber Magnus Isacsson and animator Sophia Southam. The film follows political activist David Bernans as he attempts to track down Martin and ask the newly anointed PM and Liberal leader some tough questions. The title, of course, hearkens back to Michael Rubbo's landmark doc about Canadians who travel to Cuba to meet with Castro, titled Waiting for Fidel, as well as lifting entire chapters from Michael Moore's book of doc-ambush tactics. This film is well worth seeing, but it has also lost some of its iconoclast cred due to the current Sponsorgate, unravelling as we speak and threatening the Liberals' assurance of a victory in the next federal election. Waiting for Martin has its premiere this Tuesday, March 30, at 7 p.m. at Concordia's Hall Building. A discussion will follow.

For those of you who aren't already convinced that Montreal is one seriously slutty town, you may want to tune into Kink, which premieres this Friday night at 9:30 p.m. on Showcase. This is the show's third season, with the previous two focusing on Toronto and Vancouver. I find it odd that a show with this title wouldn't start with us, but after getting over my initial feeling of being affronted, I did enjoy the series, which examines (as the name suggests) a number of different Montrealers with off-the-beaten-path sexual tastes. Local filmmaker Ziad Touma was one of the creative forces behind the series.

This week also sees the premiere of Walled Horizon, Louise Rinfret's moving documentary about a group of young people attempting, through alternative therapeutic methods, to get over childhoods ravaged by abuse and trauma. The film screens on Thursday, April 1, in its original French version with English subtitles, at 8 p.m. at the NFB Cinema downtown, followed by screenings on April 3 and 4 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Cinéma-vérité and personal testimonials meet in Michka Saal's anti-racism documentary Zero Tolerance. The film screens this week at the Ex-Centris (starting on Friday, March 26) as part of the Action Week Against Racism. Here, filmmaker Saal explores the effects of racial profiling on Montreal's communities of colour.

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