John Sayles's science fiction cult classic The Brother from Another Planet is a look at life on Planet Earth through the eyes of a newly arrived alien from outer space. Looking quite human, the nameless character is called simply Brother by the people he encounters in the African-American neighborhood where he lands. Two things, however, do set him apart. First, he never speaks, leaving his new friends free to interpret his silence in whatever way most suits them. And second, Brother has claw-like toes that prompt a lover to exclaim, "Baby, you've got to do something about them toenails!" Contemporary Arts Museum Houston's Teen Council member Abigail Shargey says in a press release, "There are...social, racial and class commentaries embedded within the foundation of the film, making it one of the great American independent motion pictures." 7 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet. For information, call 713-639-7515 or visit www.mfah.org. $6 to $7.
Fri., Feb. 26, 7 p.m., 2010