“I can do great things with my ass,” claims a young activist named Baya in The Names of Love. Baya (Sara Forestier), you see, is a “political whore,” a leftist who sleeps with the opposition in order to convert them to her beliefs. Flighty yet fierce in her convictions—and looking like a brunette Heather Graham—Baya easily wins over Arthur (Jacques Gamblin), a conservative veterinarian who’s somewhat put off by her looseness but is too enchanted to leave things as a one-night stand. Their ensuing relationship is rocky for them (Baya continues to sleep with other men, and their political debates get nasty) but delightful for the viewer, with director and co-writer Michel Leclerc packing his film with rapid-fire dialogue that’s both funny and intelligent. Sometimes exchanges get a little too quick—Baya sometimes talks so fast you fail to grasp her position on an issue—but her sensuality, smarts, and attraction to Arthur are never in doubt. Forestier’s performance sparkles, and even though she literally bares all here, the actress leaves you wanting more.

At 8:30 p.m.; also on Saturday, April 16 at 7 p.m. Both showings at Avalon Theatre.