Episode 109: She’s Gotta Have It (1986)

I revisit Spike Lee’s debut feature She’s Gotta Have It (1986), a film I hadn’t seen since the 1990s.

Coming back to it nearly 40 years later, I found myself admiring it more than actually enjoying it. You can already see the filmmaker Spike Lee would become, with his confidence, originality and willingness to tackle race, relationships and strong female characters. While the black-and-white cinematography, jazz score and Mars Blackmon all work well, I found the acting uneven and some of the film’s attitudes, particularly towards the end, haven’t aged well. An important first step from a major filmmaker, even if it isn’t one I’ll revisit again.