Tuesday Nights at the Movies celebrates Oscar season by screening “Lilies of the Field,” a film that marked an Academy Award milestone. Directed by Ralph Nelson (“Requiem for a Heavyweight” and “Father Goose”) and adapted from William E. Barrett’s 1962 novel, the film’s plot is disarmingly simple.

Sidney Poitier plays Homer Smith, an itinerant handyman whose car breaks down in the Arizona desert. As he seeks help, he stumbles upon a remote convent of East German nuns led by the formidable Mother Maria (Lilia Skala, who received an Oscar nomination for her performance). Though the sisters speak little English, Homer comes to understand that they have fled the Iron Curtain and are struggling to make ends meet in their new home. And P.S., they also want him to build them a chapel. For free.

The film’s title comes from the biblical Sermon on the Mount: “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin” (Matthew 6:28, RSV). Essentially, God will provide for his followers, just as he clothes simple flowers so beautifully. The nuns see Homer as a literal godsend who arrived just when they had a need. Homer, on the other hand, believes in fair exchange and personal freedom. What begins with Homer requesting water for his overheated car turns into an extended negotiation – alternately comic and tense – over labor, faith, and obligation.

“Lilies of the Field” is restrained and languidly paced, its drama unfolding not due to plot twists but through a lens tightly focused on its characters. As Homer’s initial refusal gradually gives way — it seems he had once dreamed of becoming an architect — he and Mother Maria struggle variously with ambition, conscience, and a quest for connection and meaning. Poitier’s performance is the film’s quiet engine, creating a character that is charismatic without grandstanding and principled without sanctimony. He plays this tension with remarkable self-possession, allowing humor, irritation, pride, and generosity to coexist.

Released in 1963, “Lilies of the Field” sits at a pivotal place in Poitier’s career — midway between 1958’s “The Defiant Ones” (for which he received his first Oscar nomination) and an extraordinary run of late-1960s films like “In the Heat of the Night” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” When “Lilies of the Field” was released, Poitier was already a respected actor, known for roles that combined moral authority with quiet intensity. His performance as Homer, however, would make history by earning him the Academy Award for Best Actor — the first Black performer to win the Oscar for a leading role. While it’s tempting to view Poitier’s recognition with Hollywood’s highest acting honor as a turning point, it’s illustrative that only five other performers of color have won a leading-actor Oscar in the 60 years since (though Michael B. Jordan is nominated in that category this year).

Poitier would go on to receive numerous honors, including the Academy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Golden Globe’s Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Queen Elizabeth II even made him “Sir Sidney” by conferring on him the honorary KBE (Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire). But it was Poitier’s performance in “Lilies of the Field” that cemented his reputation as an icon — one of the finest actors of his generation and an inspiration to those who came after him.

Modest in scale and quietly confident in tone, “Lilies of the Field” finds its pleasures in small gestures, gentle humor, and the steady accumulation of goodwill. Its black-and-white imagery, modest setting, and unshowy direction allow the performances to take center stage, and its final moments feel earned rather than exalted. Ultimately, “Lilies of the Field” endures not because it announces its importance, but because it trusts the simplicity of its story to speak for itself.

Utilizing a state-of-the-art laser projector, “Lilies of the Field” (94 min.) screens at Woodmere at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, as part of the Tuesday Nights at the Movies series in partnership with the Chestnut Hill Film Group. Light refreshments will be provided prior to the screening. Tuesday Nights at the Movies screenings are free to the public, but donations are gratefully accepted. Woodmere is located at 9201 Germantown Ave. in Chestnut Hill. For more information, contact 215-247-0476 or woodmereartmuseum.org, or visit Chestnut Hill Film Group on social media. Please check Woodmere’s website (woodmereartmuseum.org) the day of the screening for weather-related cancellations.

Lily Williams is vice president of Chestnut Hill Film Group.