"She's Gotta Have It" Takes on Catcalling in New Art Project
It’s been 31 years since Spike Lee’s feature film She’s Gotta Have It heralded the arrival of a new auteur. Now the writer-director is back with a 10-episode Netflix reboot of his debut film about Nola Darling, a polyamorous Brooklyn artist who manages the three men in her life while remaining true to herself.
Much has changed in the culture since 1986 and this Nola Darling (DeWanda Wise), who describes herself as a sex-positive polyamorous pansexual, is very much reflective of the moment. Beyond Nola’s many intersections as a black queer woman, the series is also deeply feminist.
In addition to the show’s sex-positivity and Nola’s sexual agency, the pilot tackles sexual harassment in the form of a montage of the men and a few women who’ve catcalled the lead character and the garbage they've spewed at her. Later in the pilot, she wrests herself from a man who becomes physical when she ignores his catcalls. Finally, she creates an art project of posters based on the names she’s been called while merely attempting to go about her life.
Now Netflix has released a featurette titled “My Name Isn’t” that riffs off of Nola’s art project. The video features Wise, some of the show’s creative team, and several New York University students sharing their stories of being catcalled. The project is so fully realized that Netflix has even put together a site where anyone can upload a photo to create their own “My Name Isn’t…” poster.
Watch the video below and add your name to the “My Name Isn’t” project here.