Drew Burnett Gregory is back at Sundance bringing daily updates on the best of LGBTQ+ cinema and beyond. Follow along for more coverage or read her review of the new Andrea Gibson documentary Come See Me in the Good Light below.
Here at Autostraddle we’ve been writing about Andrea Gibson since at least 2010, doing a full interview with them in 2013. A spoken word poet and activist, Gibson has been a queer icon for many years. As the new documentary Come See Me in the Good Light illustrates, Gibson is a rockstar of the poetry world, literally touring and performing in music venues.
But this film isn’t a straight-forward artist portrait. It’s a portrait of Gibson and their partner, fellow poet Megan Falley, as they navigate Gibson’s incurable cancer diagnosis. It’s a tender look at two queer people in love and a celebration of the desire to live.
Gibson and Falley are two very different people and very different artists. Gibson is known for their simple vocabulary while Falley is more verbose. Gibson wears their feelings while Falley intellectualizes. Gibson finds anxiety in anticipation while Falley is calm until something occurs. The best moments of the documentary are watching them navigate these differences and practice the ways they’ve learned to communicate with one another.
If you haven’t already figured it out, this is a very gay film. If it wasn’t so heavily about death and illness, it would feel like a parody of lesbian emotional processing. I loved every second of that. It’s rare to see a couple on-screen — in fiction or nonfiction — that always feels like they’re working together, imperfect but always trying.
And if that wasn’t gay enough, Gibson is also still very close friends with all of their exes.
There’s so much humor shared between Gibson and Falley, as well as both of them with their intimate circle of friends. Produced by Tig Notaro, this often feels like her best work — a laugh one moment, a sob the next.
The emotions of the film — and Gibson’s work — are so palpable I wish director Ryan White had dared to pull back in his use of an obvious sentimental score. The film is really well-directed in where his camera is looking, which footage he chose to use, and the narrative throughlines he creates, and this felt like the one aspect that belonged in a less mature film. There is plenty to feel without the sonic guidance.
But this is a minor complaint for a film that’s deeply affecting. It’s a worthy portrait of Gibson, of their relationship with Falley, and of very real ideas that have been turned into platitudes like chosen family and queer perseverance.
I’m positive for the BRCA mutation and had my first scare last year. Cancer has always been a big part of my family and will likely be a big part of my future. Watching Gibson, I felt inspired to appreciate each year, each day, each moment I’m on this planet to give and receive love. If there’s one thing you can learn from a poet, it’s that just because something is corny doesn’t mean it’s not true.
Come See Me in the Good Light will be released later this year.
