She’s Gotta Have It (1986)

Spike Lee's directing debut. Since Day 1, a force to be reckoned with. Spike's world comes alive within the first frame. An unmistakable spirit he hasn't shaken off to this day. Filmmaking born and bred in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Nola Darling is our protagonist, and she's the woman every man wants. But three men, in particular, just want her all to themselves. We have mellow Jamie, the debonair Greer and the jokey Mars Blackmon (played by Spike himself). It's a love story (or non-love story, depending on how you look at it) still relevant today, way ahead of it's time and strictly New Yorker. Amid our story is a certain late 80's backdrop that hints at the sociopolitical issues that have always impassioned Spike as a director, such as apartheid South Africa and the ascendence of Jesse Jackson. This is a must see. 5 Stars.