Review of She's Gotta Have It

'She's Gotta have it (1986)' is Spike Lee's first joint and it's incredibly confident for a (more-or-less) directorial debut. It tells the tale of Nola and her three lovers, each of which want to have her for themselves. The three men all want Nola to conform to their idea of an ideal relationship, whereas Nola herself can't ever imagine being tied down to just one man. Jamie seems kind and considerate, but he wants an extremely traditional relationship in which he feels as though Nola is his (and his impatience eventually turns nasty); Greer is insipidly self-assured and thinks he is better than Nola, wanting her to change in order to achieve the social status he perceives himself to have; and Mars is a jokester, someone whose perfect relationship seems to be as casual as the one he already has with Nola (he's even willing to share with Jamie, just not Greer). Each of the men view Nola as something which can be theirs, something to own. Nola, on the other hand, is interested in the relationships themselves but doesn't want to be forced into one specific lifestyle. At its heart, the film is a feminist and refreshingly forward-thinking affair which makes a point of portraying the men as selfish and controlling, while affording Nola with an arc that ultimately compliments her body-positive attitude. The film, essentially, praises its lead for her desire to maintain her own autonomy; it neither judges her nor polyamory in general. Though its ending is a bit rushed and its characters aren't developed outside of their relationships, the piece is a solid and atmospheric rom-com that does an excellent job in avoiding stereotypes, respecting its female characters and portraying black people as people (the credits proudly proclaim that "there are no jericurls and no drugs in this movie!"). It does feature a poorly handled rape scene that Lee himself has mentioned regretting, but its flaws are far from unforgiveable. The affair is admittedly a little slow and, even, slightly repetitive overall. However, it's an admirable and interesting piece of filmmaking. Perhaps it could have been a bit tighter, but it's still a solid movie. 6/10.