The speculative nature of science fiction has long made it ripe for social and political commentary, but leave it to indie icon John Sayles to find a fresh angle on one of the genre’s most well-worn tropes. For his fourth feature, Sayles gave the figure of the alien a revitalized punch by casting African American actor Joe Morton as a visitor from beyond the stars. After ditching his malfunctioning spaceship at Ellis Island, Morton’s mute newcomer, known only as “The Brother,” navigates the customs of Manhattan’s residents as he searches for a new place to call home. From his initial refuge in a Harlem bar, he encounters a cross-section of urban earthlings who read him—and the world—through a puzzling prism of race, class, and ethnicity. The scenario makes for brilliant comedy as well as commentary; at the time, Roger Ebert discovered in Morton’s ever-expressive silence the makings of a modern-day Buster Keaton.

—Cara King

• Written by Sayles. Photographed by Ernest R. Dickerson. With Joe Morton, Rosanna Carter, Ray Ramirez, Yves Rene. (108 mins, Color, 35mm, Permission IFC Films. Preservation funded by Anarchists’ Convention.)