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Arts
Monday, November 27, 2017 — 5A

NETFLIX

The 1986 film hits the small screen of Netflix.
Lee revamps for TV his 
hit ‘She’s Gotta Have It’

The director’s 1986 debut recieves a refreshing makeover

Love yourself, even if society 

doesn’t want you to.

That seems to be one of the 

many 
underlying 
messages 

of “She’s Gotta Have It,” the 
refreshing television adaptation 
of Spike Lee’s (“Oldboy”) 1986 
debut. For Nola Darling (DeWanda 
Wise, 
“Underground”), 
the 

show’s striking protagonist, self-
love comes at the price of being 
fetishized by her romantic suitors, 
objectified by male strangers and 
traumatized by her own demons. 
But toward the end of the first 
episode, Nola rejects the negative 
labels attached to her identity. 
She stares down the camera and 
says with fierce conviction that 
she’s “not a freak, a sex addict and 
damn sure nobody’s property.” 
Though this show may not be 
for everyone, Nola’s unrelenting 
confidence and exuberant charm 
in moments like these make “She’s 
Gotta Have It” worth watching.

While it shares the same 

premise as the original film — an 
independent Black woman from 
Brooklyn entangles herself in a 
love quadrangle — the TV version 
of “She’s Gotta Have It” explores 
much more than its tantalizing 
plot suggests. From polyamory 
to sexual fluidity, psychotherapy 
to 
self-acceptance, 
sexual 

assault to feminism, the show 
juggles an array of heavy topics, 
creating both a stimulating and 
disorienting viewing experience. 
But by focusing on one specific 
theme at a time in each episode, 
“She’s Gotta Have It” dedicates 
a healthy amount of attention to 
how these complex topics propel 
Nola’s character arc.

Particularly during the third 

episode (so far my favorite), 
Nola faces her biggest challenge 
when she buys a skimpy black 
dress to boost her self-esteem 
and subsequently draws mixed 
reactions from the three men she’s 
dating — thoughtful businessman 
Jamie Overstreet (Lyriq Bent, 
“Saw IV”), playful biker Mars 
Blackmon 
(Anthony 
Ramos, 

“White Girl”) and narcissistic 
photographer Greer Childs (Cleo 
Anthony, “Transparent”). On a 
fancy dinner date, Jamie becomes 
overprotective of Nola, telling her 

dress is too “night-clubby” for a 
nice restaurant and shielding it 
from strangers with his sports 
coat. Mars gives Nola flak for 
provoking an aggressor at a 
reggaeton concert because of how 
sexy her dress looks. But perhaps 
the most effective damage on 
Nola’s ego comes from Greer, 
when he photographs her while 
commenting her dress and looks 
in a lecherous, Terry Richardson-
type manner.

Each of these encounters leaves 

Nola deeply uncomfortable, but 
also empowered to turn her 
suffering into art. She takes 
the dress and pins it to a blank 
canvas, signifying how the dress 
doesn’t define her and that she 

has the willpower to control 
how she responds to what people 
think of her. Wise’s impeccable 
performance 
also 
perfectly 

captures the emotional intensity 
and gravity in these scenes. She 
channels 
anger, 
frustration, 

happiness and longing with such 
nuance that it’s almost hard not 
to recognize and empathize with 
her character’s pain. 

For all of its enchanting 

acting and mesmerizing social 
commentary, “She’s Gotta Have 
It” is by no means a conventional 
watch. 
The 
show 
frequently 

breaks the fourth wall without 
warning, a technique Lee has 
employed in the original film and 
in his other 1989 classic, “Do the 
Right Thing.” In some moments, 
having characters address the 
viewer directly benefits the 
dynamism and urgency of the 
show’s monologues. In one brief 
but stunning scene from episode 
five, Nola’s boss Raqueletta Moss 
(De’Adre Aziza, “The Breaks”) 
tells both Nola and the audience 
about how she conquered the 
traumas of her past to make it 
as an elite elementary school 
principal for at-risk students 
of color. It doesn’t necessarily 
propel the plot in any way, but the 

power of Moss’s words speaks 
volumes of the level of depth Lee 
and his team of writers imbue in 
each of the characters, no matter 
if they are secondary to the story.

That being said, other scenes 

that break the fourth wall 
can elicit an entirely different 
reaction, such as when Nola 
ends a speech about her defiance 
against a man who assaulted her 
in the pilot episode by saying, 
“Black 
Lives 
Matter.” 
Even 

though the statement emerges 
may seem jarring in the moment, 
Black identity is part of who 
Nola is and mentioning the 
BLM movement doesn’t negate 
that whatsoever. This is Lee’s 
attempt to emphasize how Black 
solidarity is always an intrinsic 
part of being Black in America, 
regardless of the context. And 
however the message is intended, 
Lee’s portrayal of modern-day 
Black life through Nola Darling 
is undeniably admirable and 
remains a testament to his acute 
storytelling style and inclusion of 
actors of color in primary roles.

As meticulous as the show may 

be about identity and art, “She’s 
Gotta Have It” isn’t without 
its faults. The pacing of each 
episode is slightly sluggish and 
other ongoing subplots — Nola’s 
friend Shemekka (Chyna Layne, 
“Precious”) receives butt implants 
to enhance her burlesque dancing 
— don’t hit the same emotional 
beats as the main story.

But part of what makes the 

updated version of “She’s Gotta 
Have It” so enthralling is how it 
portrays Nola’s many layers as an 
autonomous Black woman. The 
show’s selection of hip hop and 
R&B music — some include The 
Roots, Solange, The Isley Brothers 
and Prince — both shape Nola’s 
cultured aesthetic tastes and 
evoke the spectrum of emotion 
she carries throughout the show. 
Nola’s relationship to Brooklyn 
also enhances the core aesthetic 
of “She’s Gotta Have It”; the 
show itself is also a love letter to 
Brooklyn, incorporating images 
that portray the borough’s rich 
past and present in its collage-like 
opening title sequence.

For Nola Darling, the only way 

to navigate through the scary, 
intimidating 
male-dominated 

world is by finding the beauty in 
it.

SAM ROSENBERG

Daily Arts Writer

TV REVIEW

“She’s Gotta 

Have It”

Series premiere 

(5 episodes 
watched)

Netflix

WALT DISNEY

Pixar succeeds in the thoughtful, touching animated feature
Pixar’s new ‘Coco’ is the 
studio’s best film in years

Culturally cognizant and nuanced, Pixar’s latest makes waves

To say that Hollywood has 

struggled with representation of 
minorities would be a bit of an 
understatement. It seems that every 
few months moviegoers are treated 
to a fresh controversy concerning 
casting choices and depiction 
of cultures in film, such as the 
decision to have Scarlett Johansson 
(“Rough Night”) play the Japanese 
heroine of 2017’s “Ghost in the 
Shell.” 
Moreover, 
Hollywood’s 

most prominent directors and 
writers are overwhelmingly white 
men.

When Pixar’s latest release, 

“Coco,” was announced in 2013 
under the title “Dia de los Muertos,” 
it seemed like the film would be 
yet another example of tone-deaf 
Hollywood drivel as Disney moved 
to trademark the name of the 
Mexican holiday, stirring outrage 
from the Southern Californian 
Latino community. Learning from 
its mistakes, Pixar changed the 
name to “Coco” and recruited 
several experts on Mexican culture 
and history to consult throughout 
the creative process concerning the 
studio’s depiction of the culture.

The result is one of the most 

thoughtful, 
nuanced 
and 
all 

around gorgeous depictions of 
Mexican culture ever to come from 
mainstream Hollywood. “Coco” 
follows a young boy named Miguel 
(Anthony Gonzales, “Imagination 
of Young”), an aspiring musician 
facing his family’s generations-
old ban on music. When Miguel 
attempts to steal a guitar from the 
tomb of his favorite musician, he 
is transported to the Land of the 

Dead and must find his way home 
before sunrise lest he be trapped 
there forever.

The film’s story could perhaps 

be 
one 
place 
for 
complaint. 

Thematically, it’s color-by-numbers 
Disney; so long as characters 
follow their hearts and believe, all 
their dreams will come true. It’s a 
formula that the studio has done 
to perfection, and it follows an 
emotional arc that will feel very 
familiar to Pixar fans, from its main 
character’s hopeful optimism to 
its tear-jerking emotional climax. 
Some plot points felt predictable; 

some would-be big reveals could 
be seen coming. That said, there’s 
nothing inherently wrong with 
sticking to what works, especially 
when the film’s true strengths lie in 
its details.

The 
film 
brings 
together 

numerous details about Mexican 
culture, 
from 
the 
glowing, 

patterned alebrijes (spirit animals) 
that live in the Land of the Dead 
to an appearance from the spirit 
of Frida Kahlo. These details 
never once feel like a contrived 
token for diversity, but instead 
combine to make “Coco” one of 
the most immersive animated 
experiences of the year. While 
“Coco” does have a story to tell — 
and a heartwarming one at that 
— it feels like part of the film’s goal 

was simply to write a love letter to 
Mexican culture and heritage, a 
goal it achieves in spades. The film 
is a vibrant, beautiful portrait of a 
people and their culture.

Moreover, “Coco” may very 

well be one of the most technically 
impressive and visually stunning 
animated films ever made. This is 
visible from little details, like the 
way leaves on the ground pulse 
and glow when Miguel strums a 
guitar, to big, ambitious settings 
like The Land of the Dead, depicted 
in the film as a sprawling, glowing 
metropolis that’s built atop itself 
and is impossibly tall. The character 
design is delightfully unique, and 
each character has a liveliness and 
rhythm to their movements that 
helps to build their character, from 
the skeleton-esque limp of Héctor 
(Gael García Bernal, “If You Saw 
His Heart”) to the comedic flailing 
of Dante, a stray Mexican Hairless 
Dog and Miguel’s sidekick.

The film’s story may not be 

terribly unique, but everything else 
about the film is, and is done with 
such virtuosic attention to detail 
that it completely silences whatever 
issues one may take with the plot. 
“Coco” does more than paint a vivid 
picture, it invites audiences to step 
through the looking glass into a 
stunningly beautiful world teeming 
with creativity. What’s more, the 
film’s lovingly nuanced depiction 
of Mexican culture should be the 
benchmark for respectful depiction 
and 
minority 
representation 

in 
Hollywood 
going 
forward. 

Shattering box-office records in 
Mexico within days of opening, 
“Coco” is not only a great movie, 
it’s also a great example of what 
happens when big studios take the 
time to ask questions, learn about a 
culture and do it right. 

MAX MICHALSKY

Daily Arts Writer

FILM REVIEW

“Coco”

Rave Cinemas, 

Quality 16

Walt Disney 

Studios Motion 

Pictures

WHO HAD THE MOST 

FASHIONABLE BREAK DOWN?

A. LINDSEY LOHAN
B. AMANDA BYNES
C. BRITNEY SPEARS
D. TAYLOR SWIFT

E. NOT TAYLOR SWIFT

JOIN DAILY STYLE TO LEARN THE 

ANSWER

E-mail arts@umich.edu for 

information on applying.

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ACROSS
1 The “m” in 
E = mc 2

5 Put into force
10 Wood-shaping
tool
14 Severely
damaged sea
15 Morning show
featuring Al Roker
16 Drubbed or
whipped
17 Calf-length skirt
18 Lady’s canine
love
19 Omar of “The
Mod Squad”
20 Seaside shade
provider
23 Bone: Pref.
24 Second person
25 Grammy category
28 “Don’t play”
music symbols
32 “I’ll do that!”
34 Opposite of pos.
37 Philatelist’s
volumes
40 Soothing
succulent
42 Inclined
43 Sitter’s nemesis
44 Practice that
develops a variety
of employee skills
47 Letters after ems
48 “Not __!”: “Quiet!”
49 Macho guy
51 Not agin
52 Musician’s gift
55 Curriculum __:
résumé
59 Kid’s imaginary
companions, and
what’s literally
found in this
puzzle’s circles
64 Remove a rind
from
66 “Ask me if __”
67 Pigeon banter
68 Drops the ball
69 Country south of
Egypt
70 French I verb
71 Path behind a
ship
72 Poet’s muse
73 Taken in, as a
movie

DOWN
1 Cuban dance
2 Spring zodiac sign
3 ’70s-’80s
Egyptian
president Anwar
4 Deli machine
5 Caesar’s ides-of-
March words
6 Good name for
an average guy
7 Not much (of)
8 Top-selling
Toyota
9 Blood bank spec
10 Second son
11 Act of leaving
12 Microwave
13 Sci-fi beings
21 Long-handled
garden tools
22 Break in the
action
26 Capital of Jordan
27 Annoying types
29 “Now!” in the OR
30 Brit’s sign-off
31 Northampton
women’s college
33 Flow back
34 City south of
Baghdad

35 Wed on the wing
36 Lose it big-time
38 Ballet dip
39 Tiny physics bit
41 Poetic palindrome
45 Oil gp. that
includes Iraq
46 “Avatar” race
50 Nephews’ sisters
53 Come to light
54 Happen multiple
times

56 Govt. security
57 Love dearly
58 German steel 
city
60 Beyond that
61 “Look what I did!”
62 Group with
pledges
63 Nevada gambling
city
64 Church bench
65 Notable time

By Mark McClain
©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
11/27/17

11/27/17

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

RELEASE DATE– Monday, November 27, 2017

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

xwordeditor@aol.com

