She’s Gotta Have It Christian Review
Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It is more than just a rehash of his 1986 film—it’s a kaleidoscopic plunge into Brooklyn, identity, modern romance, and what it means to be unapologetically free. But as a Christian, there’s this strange push and pull happening when you watch it. On one hand, you see the beautiful, raw exploration of a black woman’s experience in a gentrifying neighborhood, navigating relationships, art, and self. On the other hand, there’s this lingering unease about how far this freedom goes before it starts to eat away at what real freedom actually is.
In Lee’s visually arresting series, Nola Darling stands front and center. She’s an artist, a lover, and a woman determined to live life by her own rules—without compromise. She’s trying to figure out who she is while not letting anyone else define her. This resonates deeply because, well, don’t we all have this innate desire to be understood without losing ourselves? But the way Nola goes about it, especially when it comes to relationships, makes you pause and wonder if this relentless self-sufficiency and autonomy are actually freeing or if they’re trapping her in another kind of cage.
The Dance Between Freedom and Fulfillment
Nola Darling is fierce. There’s no denying that. Played by the electric DeWanda Wise, she carries the series with a confidence and rawness that is hard to ignore. She’s juggling multiple relationships—three lovers, to be exact—and the show presents this as her asserting control over her own narrative, her own body, her own life. It’s a celebration of her freedom, or at least that’s how it’s framed. Nola refuses to be owned by any one man, rejecting traditional monogamy and any idea that love needs to come with strings attached.
And here’s where things start to get messy. You can’t help but admire her audacity, the way she pushes against societal norms, especially as a black woman in a world that too often tries to box her in. But at the same time, from a Christian lens, it’s hard to watch this all play out without feeling some level of discomfort. We get it—freedom is important. But what is freedom if it’s unmoored from any sense of accountability or purpose? Galatians 5:13 reminds us, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
Nola’s pursuit of freedom feels more like a pursuit of self-satisfaction. There’s a kind of emptiness that trails her, even when she’s laughing, loving, or creating. Her relationships—whether with her lovers or her art—don’t seem to fulfill her. Instead, they serve as temporary distractions or affirmations of her independence. And maybe that’s the whole point. Perhaps Nola isn’t supposed to find fulfillment in these things because the show itself is questioning whether self-reliance is really the answer.
The Art of Nola Darling: A Mirror of Her Soul
Art flows through She’s Gotta Have It like blood through veins. Nola is an artist to her core, and the series makes sure you know it, both in how it’s shot and in how Nola’s art serves as an extension of her personality. The vibrant bursts of color, the on-screen text, the music—it all feels like a living canvas. Spike Lee plays with the medium of television in a way that feels fresh, expressive, and deeply tied to Nola’s inner world. The art isn’t just a backdrop; it’s another character in the show, one that’s intimately connected to Nola’s identity.
But here’s the thing about art: It can either reveal truth or obscure it. For Nola, her art is her way of communicating her truth. She pours herself into it, using it as a shield and a weapon, a way to express her inner struggles with identity, love, and oppression. As Christians, we know that art has the potential to point toward something greater than ourselves—to reflect God’s beauty, His creation, His truth. Nola’s art, while beautiful and captivating, often feels like it’s missing that deeper connection. It’s wrapped up in her self-expression, but it doesn’t seem to transcend her personal struggles.
There’s this tension in watching Nola create—her art is powerful, but is it healing? Is it leading her toward something bigger than herself, or is it keeping her stuck in the cycle of self-obsession? It makes you wonder what her art would look like if it were grounded in something beyond her immediate desires.
The Men in Nola’s Life: Propping Up or Tearing Down?
The men Nola chooses to keep in her orbit are fascinating in their own right, each one offering something she thinks she needs. There’s Jamie, the stable, older, more conventional man; Mars, the playful, quirky, free spirit; and Greer, the self-absorbed, vain, but magnetic lover. Each man is portrayed as a piece of the puzzle that makes up Nola’s life, yet none of them is able to give her what she’s looking for. And maybe that’s intentional. Nola doesn’t want to be defined by any one man, or any one relationship.
It’s in these interactions, though, that the show shines a light on the complexity of modern relationships. There’s this push to redefine what love and connection mean. And while that’s a conversation worth having, from a Christian perspective, it’s hard to watch Nola and her lovers stumble through these shallow, transactional encounters without feeling a bit sad for them. Love, at its core, is supposed to be about sacrifice, about giving yourself to another in a way that mirrors Christ’s love for the Church. Ephesians 5 paints this beautiful picture of love as something sacrificial, something that’s meant to build both people up. But here, love is stripped down to its most basic form—pleasure, convenience, power dynamics.
Nola’s resistance to traditional relationships may feel empowering in the moment, but there’s also a sense of isolation that follows her. The series never fully addresses whether this kind of independence actually makes her happy or fulfilled—it just kind of leaves the question hanging in the air, unanswered.
Gentrification, Harassment, and the Modern Black Experience
What sets She’s Gotta Have It apart from many other series is how it tackles real, pressing issues like street harassment and gentrification. Nola’s Brooklyn is changing fast—too fast—and the show doesn’t shy away from exploring the impact of gentrification on black communities. It’s in these moments that the show feels most relevant and urgent, giving voice to concerns that many in Nola’s world are living through every day.
As Christians, we’re called to be concerned about justice, about standing up for the oppressed, the marginalized, those whose voices are often drowned out by the noise of power and privilege. And She’s Gotta Have It forces us to confront these issues head-on. It makes you think about what it means to love your neighbor when your neighbor is being pushed out of their home, or when they’re being harassed just for walking down the street.
The show doesn’t offer easy answers to these questions, and that’s okay. Sometimes art’s job isn’t to resolve tension but to expose it. And in these moments, Nola’s world feels achingly real, a mirror reflecting the brokenness we see around us.
Wrapping It Up: Art, Freedom, and the Pursuit of Something More
She’s Gotta Have It is undeniably a work of art. It’s bold, visually stunning, and culturally resonant. Spike Lee has taken his original film and breathed new life into it, crafting a series that feels alive, vibrant, and important. But as a Christian viewer, there’s always that lingering question: Is this the freedom we’re called to pursue?
Nola’s journey is one of self-discovery, but it’s also a cautionary tale about the limits of self-reliance. She’s trying to find meaning in a world that’s constantly shifting, but without a firm foundation, she’s left drifting. The show offers a fascinating glimpse into the complexities of modern life, love, and art, but it also leaves you hungry for something deeper, something that can only be found when we anchor ourselves in God’s truth.
