Subvert: (verb) Undermine the power and authority of (an established system or institution)

She's Gotta Have It is a film about a woman, named Nola, who has qualms about being a part of a monogamous relationship, yet she still craves the time and attention that three men give her. This uneasiness puts all three men on edge, and each becomes more possessive of Nola as the film progresses but in the end Nola chooses herself. This film really intrigues me- the black and white effect, that majority of the film is shot, creates this traditional romance film where the guy gets the girl, yet Lee and Dickerson developed a complete gender role swap. Thinking back to films such as Casablanca and Sherlock Jr., both shot in black and white, the protagonist is a man and his counterpart is a woman or another man. At the end of the film, the man will win the girl's heart.

Spike Lee and Ernest Dickerson effectively subvert and challenge normalized gender roles by making Nola the protagonist as well as enhance anunconventional narrative approachthrough the lighting choices, placement of the characters at the table, usage of medium close-ups, and mostly black and white editing in the scene where Nola invites Jamie, Greer, and Mars to Thanksgiving dinner at her apartment. When one thinks about the assumed period for black and white films, 1986 does not come to mind but I believe this is a key part to the film making. Using black and white editing makes the viewer automatically assume, as I said previously, the guy is going to get the girl. There is no argument made on whether the girl even wants to be wanted by the guy she is already being given to. The woman lacks her own individual identity outside of her affiliation to the guy. In She's Gotta Have It, Nola is that woman that has her own identity and does not need a man present to show she has one.

This develops her feminist character, but Dickerson adds high key and back light lighting techniques to design a powerful aura surrounding Nola's head in the scene I reference, and in ways, drown out the men she is in affairs with know as Jamie, Greer, and Mars. High contrast lighting paired with strategic camera positioning pushes the viewer to feel how Nola feels towards the men in her life. Nola has a halo created by a back light behind her hair while each character gradually falls into the background, specifically Greer who sits parallel to Nola at the dinner table. His dark suit coat absorbs the light in front of him and makes him look as though he is being pulled into the background which is darker in contrast to the tablecloth in front of him. This induces the viewer to continue the belief that Greer is the least liked of all three of the men. Although when compared to Jamie, who's white shirt almost blends into the tablecloth. He has a glowing effect added to his person. Nola obviously likes him the most out of the three men. As well as this emotive response, the camera is placed above Nola's head for the majority of the scene to show Nola's superiority and the men's inferiority. The angle creates a downward pointing view with Greer seeming to shrink into the focal point.

This placement of the men at the table is key as well to the effectiveness of the cinematography in the film. Greer, as was said, is the least liked of the three men. This could be why he is placed the farthest from Nola when compared to Jamie who was placed on the side where the turkey is, and Nola asks him to carve and serve the other guests. This task is traditionally assumed by the man of the house or the husband; The patron of the party.

In addition, the woman is not the one who requests the man to carve and serve the turkey. Nola, again, is put into power over these men and the men know she is in control when she tilts away from her halo light and asserts that she will put everyone out when the men begin to argue over who has more possession over Nola. Lee and Dickerson's work continues in its effectiveness as they use medium long shots, reverse shots, and medium close-up shots throughout the scene creating movement with eyesight and a separation of physical and mental space between the men and Nola. Although, the focus continues to be on Nola, who is never given a shot with the men; building upon her independent character form, this form of constructive editing puts the viewer into Nola's point of view. Spatial Relations is another key factor in this scene that Lee carries out very well. The men are now seen to all be in equal competition for Nola, no matter how much more superior they feel over one another. They are beneath her; not equal grounds. Traditional romantic comedies, the woman is not on equal grounds with the man, and in the end, the man wins but this not the case.

Having most of the film in black and white changes the scene and challenges the dynamic of the traditional black and white comedy film simply by taking away the color the viewer is compelled to develop the characters in their minds. There is no backstory that can be assumed through Jamie's clothes look in color when compared to Mars or Greer and vice versa. The way the men speak to Nola and to one another in the scene being discussed is how they are developed. It also aids in the noir-esque style of the scene in that it is meant to be romantic and solemn but through dialogue is turned into a competition between them for Nola's focus when in fact Nola is focused on herself.