There is nothing that imbues me with as much unbridled joy as seeing “A Spike Lee Joint” flash across my screen when I am watching a film. Spike Lee is amongst the finest filmmakers working today, and he has consistently been one of the most revered voices in contemporary cinema, directing quite possibly the greatest American film ever made (Do the Right Thing, and I am fully prepared to defend this standpoint) or changing hearts and minds with his often touching, always-scathing indictments on broad social issues. I have recently taken it upon myself to explore Lee’s work thoroughly, and the next logical step on my journey (in anticipation for the recently-released BlacKkKlansman) was to rewind to the very beginning and watching a film that wasn’t only his first, but also one of his greatest achievements, albeit one that has been unfortunately overshadowed by some of his more distinguished films. She’s Gotta Have It is not merely a great debut for a true cinematic iconoclast, nor is it merely a terrific piece of social commentary – it is a film that defined cinema in its own way, being a formative moment in the movement of American independent filmmaking and something that has shaped the modern cinematic landscape. While his career may have been defined by Do the Right Thing three years later, Lee made a volcanic debut with She’s Gotta Have It, a film that is nothing short of a towering achievement, and the exact evidence to prove that Lee is one of the greats.

Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) is often referred to as “a freak”, mainly by men who find her sexual freedom and lust for both life and intimacy very different from what they normally expect to find from a woman (although the only thing she abhors more than being called a freak is being called “normal”). However, she is the epitome of a modern individual, a free-spirited young lady who cannot bear the idea of committing herself to one man, and as a result, she has three very different suitors – Jamie Overstreet (Tommy Hicks), a dignified, sophisticated gentleman, Greer Childs (John Canada Terrell), a self-obsessed male model and Mars Blackmon (Spike Lee), an eccentric but lovable bike-riding rapscallion who relies on his tendency for tenacity and sense of humor to charm those around him. Nola is in a good place – these three men give her everything she wants, material, physical and emotional – but her indecisiveness brought on by her sexual liberty slowly starts to drive all three of these men away, each of them hoping that she will choose him over the others, which is clearly not feasible. Nola thus has to grapple with the relentless devotions of her three lovers, each of which does their best to win her heart exclusively. Yet, can Nola ever find a way to make a solid relationship work, or is she doomed to be in a cycle of meaningless sexual encounters for the rest of her life?

Tracy Camilla Johns gives an astonishing performance in She’s Gotta Have It, originating the role of Nola Darling who I am surprised has not become one of the great rebellious female figures in cinema. Her performance is well-constructed and warm, and her characterization of this modern woman is a far cry from the many taut representations of femininity shown in films of the past and present. Johns captivates the audience from the very first moment, holding our attention with her beguiling charms and deceitful wit, right until the end. It is a truly astonishing performance, a lived-in and complex portrait of a woman who is not satisfied with her socially-mediated role in society, and would much rather focus on her own curiosities and investigations into the world around her. It is against her personality to adhere to society’s rules, and to be a steady, one-woman man seems to be something quite absent from Nola’s mind. Johns is astounding, and considering she would not do a great deal more work after this (collaborating on Lee on some of his other projects, but otherwise not being widely-present nowadays), her performance is lended a kind of authenticity, where we see her nuanced portrayal of Nola not as that of an actress, but that of a modern individual. It is a truly exceptional performance, and she is absolutely vivacious throughout the film, with her depiction being resonant and endearing, showing contemporary femininity, not as something to be restrained (but more on that in a few moments). This is a brilliantly compelling performance, one that is masterful in its simplicity and soaring in its intensity.

Regarding the supporting cast, She’s Gotta Have It has three excellent performances by the actors playing Nola’s love interests. Tommy Hicks is probably the best in show, giving a convincing performance as the polite Jamie. He is sweet, good-natured and kind, which makes one of his final moments, where he roughly sexually assaults Nola, all the more jarring – not only is it shocking, but it is also extremely out of character and very different from what the audience expected from such an endearing character. John Canada Terrell gives a great opposing performance as the arrogant, vain Greer Childs, who seems more focused on his looks and status than actually being a decent person to others, especially the woman who he claims to love, but more likely sees as validation for his own vanity. Terrell is unlikable in all the right ways, creating a character who is despicable without being villainous, evoking an atmosphere of self-righteous egocentrism rather than anything malicious or immoral. Finally, Lee rounds out the cast with an exuberant, hilarious and scene-stealing portrayal of the eccentric Mars, whose childlike joie de vivre sets him apart from the other suitors, as well as making him perhaps the most unconventionally charming. She’s Gotta Have It thrives on a great cast, and despite none of these performers being particularly recognizable or established, they interpret these characters wonderfully and have great chemistry with Johns, which is the entire crux of this film as a whole. Without convincing interactions, She’s Gotta Have It would not have been nearly as good as it was.

She’s Gotta Have It was released in 1986, yet it remains so starkly relevant and resonates with audiences today (which may partially explain Lee’s recent re-imagining of this story as a contemporary show on Netflix). I would argue that despite its position as a film situated in a particular temporal moment, She’s Gotta Have It persists to this very day due to touching on universal themes, which is something Lee seems to have a knack for capturing. His films are always timeless, and even when they are clearly focused on a specific period, their stories look at themes that are not restricted to a particular time. She’s Gotta Have It is centered on womanhood, placing the character of Nola Darling as a counter-culture icon of post-feminist issues, a woman who is intent on adhering to her socially-given right to indulge in a smorgasbord of material and sexual desires, not paying attention to the consequences that come with such excessive consumption and reckless mindlessness. Importantly, despite being an unconventional and unique construction, Nola Darling is not an ideal representation of femininity – her experiences are not those of other women, and her attitude is not particularly admirable. Yet, I sincerely doubt Lee had any intention of creating a character that was supposed to be a flawless, perfect version of womanhood. She’s Gotta Have It is not too concerned with being representative of the experiences of all woman, but rather a filtering of broad social issues through the interactions of one woman, who may be likable but is also troubled and imperfect, but is nonetheless realistic and enchanting. She’s Gotta Have It makes some very interesting observations on feminine issues, and Lee can be applauded for his approach to looking at modern womanhood, perhaps not in what he shows, but in the original discourses that can be derived from this film, as well as the doubtlessly fascinating conversations that can be incited from it.

Yet it would be reductive to call She’s Gotta Have It a meaningful commentary on post-feminist issues because there is a great deal more happening in this film than simply the gaze at contemporary womanhood. She’s Gotta Have It is a great social comedy, and much like Lee’s finest films, it is set almost entirely within Brooklyn, and I can honestly say that New York City has never looked as beautiful as it has here (Ernest Dickerson is a towering talent of cinematography, and his collaborations with Lee are always astonishing), and Lee captures the zeitgeist of the Big Apple in a way very few (other than perhaps Woody Allen) are able to. He constructs a story that is as profound as it is hilarious, and it looks at interactions between individuals and the grander narratives that these seemingly-inconsequential moments build towards. The film is focused on portraying life as it is – showing how individuals intermingle and come to agreements and resolve (or incite) tensions between them. Lee is one of the most socially-attuned filmmakers, and while She’s Gotta Have It may not be particularly heavy-handed or broadly scathing (it is relatively harmless, considering how understandably vicious Lee can be to social inequity and class struggle, even when he is at his most upbeat), it looks at urban life, and Lee demonstrates his keen understanding of human nature with this film. It is simple, yet so unequivocally moving through the director’s tenacious vision of the era, which has masterfully persisted since then.

Unsurprisingly, She’s Gotta Have It is one of Lee’s most audacious achievements, an innovative and experimental provocation of form and content that defies conventions and challenges expectations. The film is presented partially as a cinéma vérité documentary, a portrait of Nola Darling, with many characters delivering monologues to the camera about our protagonist, which lends a great deal of realism to this film. The film is shot in glorious black-and-white, with the exception of one scene presented in gorgeous color (I hope I am not being flippant if I call She’s Gotta Have It the most visually-stunning film Lee has ever made), and every moment is captured in such exquisite simplicity. Whether the camera focused on a conversation between two characters or lingers on a moment of delicate love-making, She’s Gotta Have It consists of moments of unparalleled beauty, meditating on the smallest, most episodic moments of seemingly-inconsequential minutiae. More than anything else, it is Lee at his most playful – his youthful creativity and unhinged talents are able to distract from the monetary constraints this film had to endure, and while it is certainly not the most seamless film of his career (some of the scenes are questionable in moral, as well as some of the acting being charmingly amateur), it is raw and honest, and is propelled on Lee’s insightful playfulness, making this one of his finest films to date.

There is so much that can be said about She’s Gotta Have It – it is a film layered with charming nuances and engaging complexities. This is a film ripe for analysis because it can evoke discussions on masculinity and femininity, race and social class, as well as the overarching grand narrative of urban life. Yet, these concepts are far too broad to be discussed in the confines of this review, but I will doubtlessly be able to discuss these ideas more thoroughly at a later date. For now, just trust me when I call She’s Gotta Have It a masterful achievement and quite frankly one of the greatest debut films for any filmmaker. Spike Lee in making this film helped construct the modern independent film movement in the United States, working concurrently with the other defining figure of the movement, Jim Jarmusch, in taking the groundwork set by the likes of John Cassavetes and Charles Burnett and building an industry that has produced some of the most audacious, groundbreaking films ever made. She’s Gotta Have It is an original, subversive and delightful comedy, filled with great performances and a unique sense of humor that is as profound as it is innovative. If there is one thing that I can say for a fact, it is that Spike Lee helped revolutionize cinema, and as She’s Gotta Have It proves, it is a quality that he has possessed since the very beginning. Simply terrific in every conceivable way. I loved this film so much.