When a cancer diagnosis forced rock star spoken word poet Andrea Gibson to step back from a career of popular books and sold-out national tours, she rallied with her partner, poet Megan Farry, friends and family to fight for her life.
Later, as well documented in Ryan White’s documentary, Come see me in a good lightIn the show, which premiered on Apple TV+, Gibson learned that her ovarian cancer was incurable despite repeated surgeries, radiation treatments, and chemotherapy. And Gibson decided he didn’t want to waste a second of what little time he had left.
In the film, Gibson is a character who is constantly on the move in one form or another. Whether toiling around the home and garden he shares with Farley on a remote mountain trail, managing the physical strain of illness and various treatments, or lying on a couch avidly editing his work, Gibson remains restless and restless.
With their minds always turning, they create, record, love, be loved, fix downed mailboxes over and over again, and set the profound example of making the most of every moment to get back on stage at least once.
Asked by her manager about trying to be healthy enough to book appointments months in the future, Gibson cheekily pointed out that even if she missed that date, she wouldn’t feel so bad.
Gibson’s sharp sense of humor is central to their determination and the film, coming through through candid scenes with Farley at home, poetry readings, and performances. Of course, Foley, working on a memoir detailing these tumultuous years, is a living pillar, and White expands the film’s focus to documenting their love story as he writes subsequent, if not final, chapters.
Humor also plays an integral role in their relationship. That they can laugh off even Gibson’s post-chemo steroid-induced rages says a lot about what sustains them as partners and artists.
They also both depend on talking openly about the good, the bad, and the ugly. Whether it’s a vulgar argument about being groped and fingered with his friend Steph, or a harrowing recollection of Gibson’s attempt to take his own life years before coming to terms with their queer identity.
Gibson and Farley are steadily seeking light as they expose their lives and pain in front of the camera, surrounded by a circle of supporters, many of whom are Gibson’s ex-girlfriends. Amidst the film’s bittersweet love story and real-life medical drama, we get a glimpse of the couple’s queer community.
In addition to his ex-girlfriend, that circle also includes comedian Tig Notaro, a cancer survivor and executive producer of the film, along with Brandi Carlyle and Sara Bareilles. Notaro appears playing with Gibson backstage at the show, and Barreles and Carlyle’s moving duet, “Salt then Sour then Sweet,” captivates us during the ending credits.
Carlyle’s breakthrough song, “The Story,” although a little monotonous, provides an accent to enliven another important scene. But the most powerful performances and lyrical content are Gibson’s, including the poetry excerpts “Boomerang Valentine” and “Living Proof” and the anthem about discovering one’s gender, “Your Life.”
In one poem, Gibson captures their lives in the small things that touch the soul, like fixing a forever broken mailbox or building a cute little tree patio with a mini umbrella to feed the squirrels in the garden. The poem is brought to screen as a poignant record of scenes from Gibson and Foley’s shared lives, their inside jokes and frequent disagreements, their past, present, and hopes for the future.
Please come see me in a bright place (★★★★☆) Stream it on Apple TV+. visit www.apple.com/apple-tv-plus.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
