She’s Gotta Have It

Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) is a young graphic artist from the up-and-coming New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, who is involved in casual sexual relationships with three men. One is kind-hearted (Tommy Redmond Hicks), another self-absorbed (John Canada Terrell). Spike Lee himself plays the third role, a talkative nerd.

Nola refuses to commit to any of them and enjoys her personal freedom. Her carefree lifestyle comes to a violent turning point when the men discover each other and begin to compare notes.

As part of the independent film movement of the 1980s, Lee’s directorial debut became a milestone of New Black Cinema. With this comedy, Lee broke new ground in the representation of Black people in U.S. cinema, portraying women and men not as prostitutes or pimps, but as educated, creative urban individuals. (Elisabeth Streit)