I’ve heard excellent things about this film all year, and finally got the chance to check it out. I ignored the opportunity to do n advance screening since Apple doesn’t include audio description, just so I could get the whole experience. It was totally worth it. for fans of Andrea Gibson, I think this bittersweet approach to her final moments will be more poignant, but I had no idea who she was, and I still adored this. Andrea could have been anything, and still the way this film is shot, the story told, is beautiful. It takes one of the hardest things we have to go through, and puts Andrea’s spin on it.

Diagnosed with cancer coming out of the pandemic, Andrea found herself with an expiration date looming. And this chronicles her attempts to not just go through treatments to stay on this mortal coil, but also slowing down and finding the beauty in the minutes and seconds remaining, knowing there is now a countdown. She goes through this process with her partner Meg, whose story is also told as it intersects and weaves around this moment with Gibson. Together, these two face “the Big C”, and all of the unknowns that come along the way.

Andrea puts it so perfectly when she says that for those who don’t understand or appreciate poems or poetry, they’ve never had to tell someone they love the worst news… beautifully. I paraphrased the hell out of that, and if I had anticipated the moment, I probably would have had the presence of mind the actually log a quote like that. It felt like learning one of the great truths of the world.

Andrea and Meg have such a lovely dynamic, that even in all the sadness, there is so much joy. Two people who love and support each other, and are enjoying the ride for as long as it goes. I’m sure Andrea would have written a more compelling review of her film, but as an outsider looking in, I truly was moved by this experience. Not because it platforms a poet, as I don’t follow poets, poems, or poet laureates. I’m a pretty basic “two roads diverged” kind of guy. I also didn’t care that this was a lesbian couple front and center, even though I’m perhaps more inclined to enjoy LGBTQ cinema. Any conglomeration of genders could have worked here, and still presented a deeply affecting story.

A lot has to do with filmmaker Ryan White, who also directed the wonderful Amazon doc Good Night Oppi. Clearly a director with the ability to understand and empathize with whatever the central focus of the feature is. And, I cannot discount the brilliance of Andrea and their words. While I’m not a poet buff, I’m not surprised she has so many fans, and was as lauded as she was.

As beautiful as thi work is, it also has the obvious tragedy that is Andrea no longer being with us. She passed away earlier this year. Andrea was still alive to see the praise for this film at Sundance, and the love and recognition for her work, but sadly would not be stepping up to accept any awards this season along Ryan. You can watch this film on Apple with audio description, but as the title would suggest, the only way we’re seeing Andrea again is in the good light.

Stunning, evocative, and emotionally resonant, Come See Me In The Good Light stays with you long after. An appropriate effect for a film about the beauty in every second of life. Simply one of the best of the year.

Fresh: 9.6/10