Andrea Gibson, Colorado’s Poet Laureate, has attracted legions of fans with their spoken word poems, including, “Acceptance Speech after Setting the World Record in Goosebumps.” As the subject of the life-affirming documentary, “Come See Me in the Good Light,” which won the Festival Favorite Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Gibson is very inspiring as they battle against ovarian cancer.
The documentary, directed by Ryan White and produced by Tig Notaro, chronicles Gibson and their partner Meg Falley, taking life pretty much three weeks at a time, as Gibson’s periodic CA 125 test measures the amount of cancer in their body. The film’s magic is that Gibson and Falley are such ingratiating people to spend time with that it is pleasurable to sit with them as they lie on the floor with their dogs, watch Gibson shoot hoops, or sit together in bed. Although the circumstances are difficult, their outlooks are both optimistic and realistic.
“This is a story of happiness,” Gibson insists at one point, refusing to cower to cancer. And their “don’t waste a second of life” attitude never feels maudlin. They are hopeful when they go for doctor appointments, and they are emotional when they must decide about a treatment that may rob Gibson of their voice — a monumental concern for a spoken word poet.
One of the film’s dramatic arcs involves Gibson wanting to perform at least one more time in a public show that is a celebration of life — if their health allows. It is a small, attainable goal, but one that gives Gibson a sense of purpose and that keeps them fighting.
“Come See Me in the Good Light” features excerpts from several of Gibson’s poems and the pieces are all beautiful and meaningful. “Tincture” is a thoughtful meditation on the body and the soul; “Your Life” is a bittersweet reflection of time past measured against the present; and in “The Little Things,” Gibson provides a “new bucket list,” which is extremely pleasing. Their delivery of these poems are highlights in the film, and sure to win Gibson more admirers.
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The medical scenes and discussions are frank, informative and often sobering. There are meetings with doctors that White records, and Gibson describes their history, which involves having a radical hysterectomy and chemotherapy, only to have the cancer come back. They opt to fight to live as long as they can rather than stop treatment, a decision that includes a mention of suicidality. (Later in the film, Gibson talks about self-harming (cutting) and considering suicide as a teenager; they’re serious about addressing this issue especially as it impacts queer youth.) But there is also an amusing scene of Gibson talking with Falley about their ‘roid rage, and how they ask for something “at the very least” from her, who, Gibson knows, has already gone above and beyond in her caregiving.
Falley is an incredibly supportive partner, and when Gibson worries over how she’ll cope after their looming death, it is quite touching. In addition, “Guardian Angel Fish,” a poem Gibson dedicates to Falley in one performance, is sure to jerk tears.
Falley gets some screen time to express her thoughts and feelings about her life with Gibson, but she also gets an opportunity to talk about her own body shame issues. These thoughts dovetail sharply with Gibson grappling with their hair loss and other side effects from chemotherapy.
“Come See Me in the Good Light” features other segments that provide a snapshot of Gibson’s life and career, which is useful for the uninitiated. They were the first spoken word poet to tour in rock clubs, often selling out shows, and footage of Gibson performing captures their salad days. Likewise, a video Falley plays features Gibson as a high school basketball star, and shows the poet as a youth back when they were closeted. Gibson talks wistfully about their teen years, coming out, dating — they remain friends with all their exes — and being bullied. Gibson even recalls their early attempts at “packing” by putting a Papa Smurf figure in their underwear, as well as their present mindset about feeling genderless and not caring if people mis-pronoun them.
The film, ultimately, shows how Gibson’s cancer has transformed them. They focus on the present now, but also consider how they thought in the past. This is what makes the film so poignant and heartfelt. When Gibson assesses that they were initially given two years to live, they felt like that was a short amount of time; now they see it as “so much.” They marvel, “Wow, I know I’m not going to die today . . . so wow, I get tomorrow too?”
“Come See Me in the Good Light” makes viewers hope Gibson and Falley get to spend many tomorrows together. Like Gibson’s poems, this film delivers hope and goosebumps in equal measure.
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