| Come See Me in the Good Light | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Ryan White |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | Andrea Gibson Megan Falley |
| Cinematography | Brandon Somerhalder |
| Edited by | Berenice Chavez |
| Music by | Blake Neely |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Apple TV+ |
Release dates | |
Running time | 104 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Come See Me in the Good Light is a 2025 Americandocumentary film directed byRyan White. Retracing the life of American poet and activistAndrea Gibson,[2] the film premiered at theSundance Film Festival on January 25, 2025, where it received positive reviews from critics and won the Festival Favorite Award.[3]
The documentary was critically acclaimed, being included on theNational Board of Review Top 5 Documentaries of 2025, receiving several awards and nominations including theAcademy Awards,Satellite Awards andFilm Independent Spirit Awards. American singer-songwritersSara Bareilles andBrandi Carlile wrote and performed the original song "Salt Then Sour Then Sweet".[4]
American poet and activistAndrea Gibson shares their life story, starting from their childhood, describing their early struggles with identity and trauma from family and their awareness of their sexual identity. Gibson also explained how poetry intertwines personal pain and how it helps spread their messages about the LGBTQ community and human and political inequalities. Gibson also addresses the theme of love with their wife Megan Falley, with whom they recount the drama of their battle with terminalovarian cancer diagnosed in 2021.
The documentary was conceived by American comedianTig Notaro and producer Stef Willen, both longtime friends of Gibson and Falley, who contacted Jessica Hargrave andRyan White.[5] It was filmed in the couple's house inLongmont, Colorado, between January 2024 to December 2024, accompanying Gibson through the process of treatment and care for theovarian cancer diagnosed in July 2021.[6][7] Singer-songwritersSara Bareilles andBrandi Carlile serve as among the executive producers; they co-wrote a song for the documentary, "Salt Then Sour Then Sweet", with Gibson.[8][9]
It had its world premiere at the2025 Sundance Film Festival.[10] In April 2025,Apple TV+ acquired distribution rights to the film, scheduled for fall release.[11] Although Gibson lived to attend the Sundance premiere, they died from their cancer on July 14, 2025, before the film aired more widely.[12]
The film was released on November 14, 2025, onApple TV+.[13]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes,100% of 48 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "Come See Me in the Good Light is an emotionally searing yet gently radiant portrait of Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley's navigation of terminal illness that never loses sight of the warmth, humor, and love that defined their relationship."[14]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[15]
Barry Levitt ofTime described the film as "a gateway into their remarkable artistry" because "it is accessible, yet profound, and it's easy to understand how those who might not count themselves as poetry fanatics would fall in love with their poems", and that " the documentary arrives at a time of great political unrest, with the queer community under threat in America".[6] In a four out of five review, Adrian Horton ofThe Guardian praising the "way in which the director "constructs a delicate portrait of the poet, collaging readings of their most poignant poems".[16]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | March 15, 2026 | Best Documentary Feature | Come See Me in the Good Light | Pending | [17] |
| Austin Film Critics Association | December 18, 2025 | Best Documentary Film | Nominated | [18] | |
| Boulder International Film Festival | April 12, 2025 | Peoples Choice Award - Feature Length Film | Ryan White, Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro, Stef Willen | Won | [19] |
| Best Feature Documentary | Won | ||||
| Cleveland International Film Festival | February 21, 2025 | Roxanne T. Mueller Audience Choice Award for Best Film | Come See Me in the Good Light | Won | [20] |
| Best Documentary | Nominated | ||||
| Honorable Mention – Documentary Competition | Ryan White | Won | |||
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | December 17, 2025 | Best Documentary | Come See Me in the Good Light | Nominated | [21] |
| Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival | May 5, 2025 | Audience Award | Come See Me in the Good Light | Won | [22] |
| Independent Spirit Awards | February 15, 2026 | Best Documentary Feature | Come See Me in the Good Light | Nominated | [23] |
| International Documentary Association | December 6, 2025 | Honorable Mention in Feature Documentaries | Come See Me in the Good Light | Nominated | [24] |
| National Board of Review Awards | National Board of Review Awards 2025 | Top 5 Documentaries | Come See Me in the Good Light | 3rd Place | [25] |
| San Francisco International Film Festival | April 27, 2025 | Best Documentary Feature | Come See Me in the Good Light | Won | [26] |
| Satellite Awards | March 8, 2026 | Best Documentary Film | Come See Me in the Good Light | Pending | [27] |
| Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards | February 6, 2026 | Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production | "Salt Then Sour Then Sweet"(Sara Bareilles,Brandi Carlile andAndrea Gibson) | Nominated | [28] |
| Sundance Film Festival | February 1, 2026 | Festival Favorite Award | Ryan White, Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro, Stef Willen | Won | [29] |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | March 2, 2026 | Allan King Documentary Award | Ryan White | Won | [30] |
| Virginia Film Festival | October 26, 2025 | Audience Award – Documentary Feature | Come See Me in the Good Light | Won | [31] |
| Chronicler Award | Jessica Hargrave | Won | |||
| Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards | December 7, 2025 | Best Documentary | Come See Me in the Good Light | Nominated | [32] |