Spike Lee’s Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It, based on his 1986 movie of the same name, has been anticipated with some hesitancy. But in this full length trailer, we at least hear more from Nola Darling than the men in her life.
Nola is pansexual, polyamorous, and she’s got three super hot guys at her beck and call. She’s also got her art, her friends, and her internal world, which seems to be a vivid place. As Clover Hope wrote when the series was announced, there has been skepticism about Lee directing every episode of a show about a black woman’s sexuality, especially considering the way Nola’s story was handled in his film (and how a rape by one of her partners was depicted).
His wife, Tonya Lewis Lee, is also executive producing, and it does seem like this new Nola is demanding you pay attention to her autonomy. She says directly to the camera, “I’m damn sure nobody’s property,” as though explicitly addressing critic’s doubts. Compared to the original trailer, which is mostly dudes talking about how hot Nola is, her character does seem to have evolved with the times:
Sign me up for juggling gorgeous guys while self-actualizing yourself in an incredible apartment. If Nola Darling can get through this series without being punished for enjoying herself, I will consider it a guide to life. We’ll see if the trailer lives up to the promise of actual sex positivity and revolution when it’s released this Thanksgiving.