In a year crowded with powerful nonfiction storytelling, few films have left audiences as moved and as unexpectedly hopeful as Come See Me in the Good Light.
The documentary was recently recognized with an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature Film and has quietly become one of the most emotionally resonant cinematic experiences of the year.
While it is heartbreaking, it’s also profoundly uplifting with its message that love, humor, and human connection can endure even in life’s darkest hours. If ever there is a movie to make you cherish your life and every second of it, it’s this.
A love story
© Apple TVAt first glance Come See Me in the Good Light seems like a movie about dying, but at its core, it’s about living.
The documentary follows celebrated poet and activist, Andrea Gibson, and their partner, Megan Falley, as they confront an unthinkable ovarian cancer diagnosis, a storyline which at first feels too dark to consider.
But as producer Jessica Hargrave told HELLO!: “This is the most uplifting project I’ve ever been privileged to work on.”
The topic sounds daunting and — in the creator’s admission, — “depressing” but the movie is far from it.
When director Ryan White was first pitched the project by comedian and writer, Tig Notaro, he thought, “Oh God,” and confessed he was trepidatious about his initial meeting with Andrea and Meghan.
“I’m someone who is very scared of mortality,” Ryan revealed. “I felt scared to be going to their home in Colorado to enter this phase. But the moment Jessica and I arrived we were completely disarmed with the biggest hug. We immediately fell in love with them.
Bringing Andrea’s dark humor to the forefront, Ryan recalled they said: “‘Welcome to my home, I guess you’re going to be with me when I die.’ That’s how it began and we hadn’t even entered their home yet.”
Human connection
© Alamy Stock PhotoAndrea and Meghan let Ryan, Jessica and their Tripod Media production team into their home for a year to capture their journey, navigating their life amid Andrea’s terminal cancer diagnosis.
The result is surprisingly funny — particularly one dinner scene — heartwarming, heartbreaking and joy-filled.
Andrea was “one of the funniest people I’ve ever met” Ryan told HELLO!, and this is evident throughout the documentary.
© Getty ImagesAnd then there’s the love story! The true magic and inspiration from Come See Me in the Good Light comes from the relationship between Andrea and Meghan.
They argue, they laugh inappropriately, they cry and confess their doubts and they always let the cameras in. However, the heartbreak doesn’t come from the spectacle, it comes from the intimacy.
The rollercoaster last year of their life, from intense treatment to performing their final live show, shows Andrea living every moment like it’s their last.
Andrea’s death
© Getty ImagesAndrea died in July 2025, six months after the film’s Sundance premiere which they were able to attend.
Megan’s message to her loved ones at the time read: “Make sure you go out and find something beautiful today, because otherwise we missed the point.”
Talking about the choice to finish filming before Andrea’s death, Jessica said: “We thought we were making an end of life film but as we went through the process we realized how much it’s about life and living. We didn’t need to see until the end of that. We also wanted Andrea to be part of the movie’s release. Having the opportunity for them to connect with the audience was so meaningful.”
© Apple TVMegan has continued to share Andrea’s work after their death, including a beautiful, final poem titled, Love Letter from the Afterlife.
“Because of this movie and this project, they feel so close,” Megan explained of losing Andrea.
“There’s a philosophy that when you lose someone, you lose them twice. The first time when their body fails and the second time when people stop speaking their name. Because of this, I know I won’t experience their second death in my lifetime.”
Where can I watch Come See Me in the Good Light?
The movie is available to stream on Apple TV.
