By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.25 cats | 4.3 cats
Director: Ryan White
Year: 2025
Running time: 109
Laks says: “I cannot remember the last time I was sat in a full cinema that wept and laughed all together in seeming quick succession. On several occasions they were genuine tears of joy on other occasions it was pure cathartic laughter. One of the film’s greatest achievements is depicting Poet Laureate Andrea Gibson’s incredible sense of humor prevailing in truly stark times under unimaginable pain and suffering. The film successfully brought the audience to witness the reality of the dire uncertainties of life with cancer, the three week cycle of tests and results, sometimes devastating, sometimes encouraging. At times it felt just far too much for me to bear but the humanity of Andrea and their partner and pillar, Megan Falley, unflinchingly by their side for year after year through treatment, triumphs and uncertainty shined through the film to carry the audience along. – 4.5 Cats
“p.s. how fortunate for us at IFF Boston to Zoom in Andrea and Megan to speak directly with the audience from their home. Even more lucky that the whole Chlotrudis crowd were sat directly next to Megan Falley’s parents!!!”
Michael says: “Ryan White’s COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT is a difficult film to review, much less critique. Not that it needs a lot of critiquing; it’s a very good film, but for me, it wasn’t a great film. In fact, when it was all over, I questioned why I wasn’t more moved. I thought this would really get to me. It did, however, do some pretty amazing things, and certainly as a documentary deserves high praise. Andrea Gibson, spoken word artist, slam poet, and their partner, Megan Fally, navigate the devastating challenges thrown at them when andrea s diagnosed with Ovarian cancer. Over a few short months, things escalate to the point where she is told her cancer is incurable. The documentary follows the couple and their circle of friends through this unimaginable journey through several years that follow — more then have been expected!
“What White’s film does incredibly well, as underscored by the post-screening Zoom q&a with the two stars, is capture what makes both Andrea and Megan fully, three-dimensionally human, as opposed victims of cancer. Andrea is particularly funny, and her humor and optimistic viewpoints in the face of adversity are authentic and profound. Megan’s matter-of-fact nature bely the incredibly difficult position she finds herself in.
“You might think COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT would be a bleak and depressing experience, but actually getting to know these two people elevates the film to a story of life — the ups and the down, the triumphs and the setbacks. And that’s when I realized that this is the reason whey the film didn’t move me as much as I thought it would — and when i say move, I mean fill me with sadness. It was moving, incredibly moving, but mostly in the way these two just keep living. 4 cats
“Screened at the Somerville Theatre, Independent Film Festival Boston, 2005”
Julie says: “COME SEE ME IN A GOOD LIGHT – funny and uplifting. I can’t really say what I want to say as to how something like this could be uplifting because it would ruin the story. Andrea Gibson is a force of nature. A big personality. You may go in doubting that you can be captivated by poetry and be able to watch a movie about cancer but you will be captivated from beginning to end by Andrea along with her partner Megan, Andrea’s life, poetry and journey. 4.75 cats
“Seen opening night of the IFF Boston 4/23/2025 at the Somerville Theatre 7:30 104 minute runtime”
Chris says: “Documentaries where the subject is terminally ill are always a tough sell; the people behind this one, chiefly director Ryan White (ASK DR. RUTH) seemingly go out of their way to dispel this impression, highlighting the film’s humor in the face of impending tragedy. Of course, with a subject like poet/activist Andrea Gibson, it would be disingenuous to oversee or even ignore how funny they are in day-to-day life, an intriguing counterpart to archival footage of them intensely performing in poetry slams and one-person shows onstage. It’s not a disconnect but more of a revelation as to how our public and private personae inevitably contrast with and also complement each other.
“Gibson’s ovarian cancer diagnosis in their late 40s provides the premise for White following them and their partner, Megan Falley, mostly in and around their cozy Colorado home. Laugh-out-loud conversations about such not-profound activities as fingering and obscure word choices (octopoidal?) are given the same weight as the specter of death that can’t help but color everything; to do so with such intimacy and candidness endears Andrea and Megan to us considerably. Their portrait is one of life not as a series of big moments but as something given inspiration and meaning by all the random, casual ones that naturally occur in the act of simply living. While a little slick for my taste at times (particularly the score and some editing choices), I can’t deny how genuinely effective and moving this is as a whole. 4 cats
“(IFFBoston 2025 film #1 – will air on Apple TV later this year.)”
Aasron says: “COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT is a sad, funny, and deeply humane documentary that follows poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Malley as they navigate Andrea’s incurable cancer diagnosis. Conventionally structured around Andrea’s final spoken word performance, the film is otherwise fresh and strikingly unafraid to be goofy. Highlights include the couple’s ongoing battle with their teetering mailbox, raunchy sex talk that takes an outrageously fun turn, and playful word banter. Andrea (they/them) self-deprecatingly claims to know only five words, while Megan likes to use big words but second-guesses herself—she’ll say ‘octopoidal’ or ‘plebes’ or debate if something is ‘subjective or objective’—and then scramble for an online dictionary. Filmmaker Ryan White has an easy and affectionate rapport with his subjects, giving the doc a sweet hangout vibe.
“Despite the humor and casual feel, this is no easy watch. It’s often a painful experience. When Andrea talks about dying, they predict that Megan will grow into a stronger, more complete person by facing down adversity and grief. It’s a generous, heartbreaking sentiment brushed on with a light touch that helps the film stray from the morbid.
“If anything holds the film back for me, it’s a subjective issue: Andrea’s poetry is undeniably good, but there’s a sameness to the language that makes it difficult to connect with during crucial moments. Some of the film’s most emotionally charged scenes are meant to be elevated by Andrea’s voice reading their poems, but for me, the impact feels slightly diluted. The film’s truest poetry emerges when Andrea and Megan talk about a lonely mourning dove searching for its lost mate. In that moment, Megan’s haunted and quietly hopeful expression says everything that words cannot. 4 cats“
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