Just arrived Apple TV+ Overall award winner Sundance FestivalIt is a documentary that has become a favorite among competition viewers because it narrates from an unexpected point of view the illness and death of one of the poets and activists who constitute an undisputed reference for gay rights in the United States. Andrea Gibson.
The documentary was directed by Ryan White (Responsible for actions as praised The guards) delves into the daily lives of Gibson and his wife, who is also a poet Megan Valley At his home in Longmont, Colorado, during the final stage of Gibson’s disease, he was diagnosed with Gibson’s disease Ovarian cancer Incurable in 2021.
The camera accompanies the couple in their daily routine and their visit to the oncologist. Chemotherapy sessions And moments of intimacy that show pain and the ability to search Joy and beauty In the midst of adversity. The access Gibson and Vallee gave the film crew allowed them to capture scenes of unusual honesty, where humor and vulnerability are naturally intertwined.
The film begins with an important scene: Ryan White arrives at the couple’s home and is greeted by Gibson with a hug and the words “I think you’ll be with me when I die.” This welcome, far from being dramatic, sets the tone for the work Avoid excitement To focus on the real experience of living with a terminal illness.
The documentary shares current images with Archival materials Which traces Gibson’s career, from her childhood in Maine to her consecration as Colorado’s Poet Laureate in 2023, through her performances in clubs and Grand Slam competitions, where “Performative” poetry.Politically and deeply humanitarian, it gained him a large following.
For Gibson and Vale, living with the disease and the decision to document the process was a way to reaffirm their commitment to life. As Vale said observerThe couple reached a loving agreement:Live with beauty even when it hurts; Finding joy even when the body fails; Turn vulnerability into an art form.
This determination is reflected in the film, as the couple faces every medical outcome, every setback, and every day of pain with a mixture of gratitude, banter And tenderness. Vale explained that although her friends and family had difficulty understanding how they could be so happy in the midst of adversity, it was essential for them not to allow themselves to be swept away by sadness.
Humor, often dark and disturbing, is one of the foundations of the documentary. One of the first scenes shows the couple joking in the kitchen about the disease, in a conversation that sparked laughter from the film crew, and made them, according to White, “unique subjects” due to their ability to… Open to camera From the first moment.
This situation has also been highlighted before Tig Notaroproducer and close friend of Gibson, who noted that the way Andrea chose to live, training every day and remaining curious and shining even in the worst moments, was “the most extraordinary example of… Don’t give up“.
Gibson’s poetry he always addressed Gender issuesIdentity, politics, and social justice gain an existential dimension in the documentary. Gibson herself put it in one of her entries: “I think this is the beginning of the nightmare… My worst fear has come true. But stick with me… Because my story is that it’s easier to find happiness when we realize we don’t have forever to find it.”
The film uses parts of his most symbolic poems, e.g tincture also Hymn of lifeand shows how writing and speech become Tools for dealing with pain And finding meaning in the experience of illness.
The relationship between Gibson and Vale, characterized by complicity and mutual support, is another focus of the narrative. They met in the poetry arena, and after years of relationship, they married in 2022.
Vale has been associated with observer how Living with the disease It led them to live “more in love and happiness than ever before,” and how the decision to record the documentary arose from the need to share that experience with the world. The film captures both the extraordinary and the most everyday moments, and Vallee highlights the privilege of having them Thousands of hours of recording About her life with Gibson: “Everyone loses someone, but not everyone has thousands of hours of their love documented,” she said.
The documentary does not end with Gibson’s death He died in July 2025 at the age of 49Surrounded by his wife, family, friends and pets. The film chooses to stop early, at a midpoint between life and death, to show Gibson full of vitality and wonder at existence.
Come and see me in the good light It is then presented as an illuminating testimony to life, love, and death, and as Andrea Gibson’s most enduring legacy, filled with a tenderness that makes you cringe inside.
About The Author
