She's Gotta Have It (1986)

IMDb plot summary: Story of a woman and her three lovers.

Directed by Spike Lee. Stars Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks, and John Canada Terrell.

She's Gotta Have It is Spike Lee's first feature film. I watched it as part of a challenge that included a black and white movie, so I went for a newer option. It follows the story of Nola, a young woman living in the city, and her three lovers who she's all dating at once. They all meet very different emotional and physical needs in her life. The story focuses a lot on how all three of them want her to give up the other two and be with just them, while she's just not terribly interested in tying herself down like that. I haven't seen as much Spike Lee as I would like to, but watching this definitely makes me want to prioritize that, because there's an energy to this that is compelling even if I'm not always sold on the narrative on the page. The actress playing Nola especially is incredibly compelling. Even when she's making decisions that are hurting people or that demonstrate she doesn't know what she wants, she's just fun to watch on screen, as are the three men who play her boyfriends. (One of them is played by Spike Lee himself.) I really enjoyed how immediately distinct these three men are, so each interaction we see them have with Nola and each other are unique based on those dynamics. I'm not sure that I'm invested in any of the like big questions being asked by this film so much as I just really enjoy watching the characters interact. Definitely one that makes me want to watch more of Lee's work. This is a heck of a debut.

🎥 She's Gotta Have It (1986)

📊 Ranked #1353/4208 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 68

beat The Girl on a Motorcycle (#2135 → #2136)

lost to The Menu (held at #1092)

beat Hamlet (#1611 → #1612)

lost to Serial Mom (held at #1352)

beat The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (#1481 → #1482)

beat The Song of Lunch (#1417 → #1418)

beat The Descendants (#1385 → #1386)

beat The Artist (#1368 → #1369)

beat The Unholy Three (#1360 → #1361)

beat Corrina, Corrina (#1356 → #1357)

beat Memories of Murder (#1354 → #1355)