At the SVA theater in New York City, almost every single one of the theaters close to 500 seats was filled to watch an early screening of the Apple TV documentary Come See Me in the Good Light, which is being released on the streamer today. The project focuses on Andrea Gibson, a prolific poet and activist who was diagnosed with an incurable ovarian cancer in 2021, and the trials and tribulations of their medical journey. They passed away in July, and at the screening, the director Ryan White spoke during a Q&A following the movie as the lights lifted on the cacophony of sniffles and nose blowing and was asked what his favorite quote of Gibsons is, given that he spent so much time with them while filming the documentary.Gibson, as shown in the movie, expertly balanced optimism with realism, and their voice was one of, if not the, most important tool given the nature of their work. Towards the end of their life, the treatment they were receiving affected their vocal chords, and they werent able to speak before they slipped into a coma and later passed away. But before the last thing they said before they fell into the coma was, I fucking loved my life. Those five words perfectly encapsulated the ethos of this film and the power of the project that was made. Gibson was able to find the beauty in the darkest moment of their life. And after watching this movie, its impossible not to have a newfound appreciation for beauty of life. Tig Notaro, a comedian and one of the documentarys producers, tells Out that she was there during Gibsons final moments and said it was one of the most devastating and most beautiful experiences of my life. She continued, There were so many different people from Andrea's life and there were so many different complex dynamics going on. Everybody came together in the most loving way to send Andrea off, its hard to explain to you what I witnessed.It was Notaro that brought the idea to the director Ryan White, who admittedly wasnt aware of Gibsons work nor the poetry world in general, alongside one of the other producers on the film, Stef Willen. The two of them felt Gibsons life would be a great documentary and got White and his producing partner, Jessica Hargrave, on board. The team ran with it all the way to the finish line and produced an emotional, inspiring film.From the moment Stef Willen [came up with the idea] to the moment Im sitting here talking to you, it's all just been green lights, Notaro said. Theres no way it wouldnt be made the way it was because Megan and Andrea are incredible subjects. Megan Falley, Andreas widow, tells Out that she feels like shes in a a rare privileged position after having lost her partner and then, be able to attend these screenings and watch their perfect face cast 15 feet tall, and then get to watch our love and fall In love with them, as everyone in the room around me is falling in love with them too. Andrea Gibson in "Come See Me in the Good Light"Courtesy of AppleTVFalley says she felt it was important to champion the messages that her partner felt it was important to share in this lifetime and beyond their lifetime, adding that it's a rare gift to have lost somebody and have a film that captures what [the two of them] had so flawlessly.There wasnt any hesitation about allowing cameras into their lives during this vulnerable time of their lives, Falley said. The couple had become close with the filmmakers and saw them as friends, who faded into the background. They lived their lives as they would have had the cameras not been there. Gibsons began having trouble with their eyesight due to the treatment they were receiving at the time the ask to create this project came their way. And so to be a part of a piece of media that wouldnt strain any part of their body in any way was a pretty instant yes.White, the director, said that he was expecting Notaro to bring him a funny documentary, but he wasn't expecting something life-changing. "I feel like I was given a gift," he says. "I hope that we were able to make a gift for other people." Gibson never thought they were going to be able to see the film before they passed, he said, but they were able to watch it a few times and saw how people were responding to it, which seemed to be the most important part of making the film to Gibson. He's started to rewire his brain to think of the success of the film differently, saying that what's important is getting to show this film to audiences whether it's 500 people or 15, and seeing how people were affected by it, which he says he's feeling even harder now that Gibson is not here.After finishing the film, Falley took on the responsibility of not only writing her own memoir but her late partners as well, along with their Substack newsletter called Things That Dont Suck, a seemingly emotional laborious undertaking for a grieving widow. When asked about what it means for her to be able to do this for her partner and what feelings arise, Falley says, Often, I think about the scientific fact that energy isn't created or destroyed. And if you met and if you met Andrea, you would know that they were nothing if not a rambunctious, wild energy. Andrea Gibson (left) and Megan Falley (right) in "Come See Me in the Good Light"Courtesy of AppleTVShe continued, I was there when they died, their heart stopped beating under my hand. And all of that energy, if it has to go somewhere, I hope that some of it is in me to carry forward. Gibson was contracted to write the newsletter before their cancer diagnosis. And when they were thinking about going back to work, Gibson felt it was the worst time to write about things that dont suck. But Falley said their perspective immediately shifted to No, this is the best possible timing, and their art from that moment on was very intentionally funneled through this lens. Now that shes taken over this responsibility of putting out the newsletter, Falley says she inherited this ethos from Andrea, very cosmically but also intentionally, as a thing to carry forward as a 37 year old widow who could also very easily say, This is the worst time to write things that don't suck, and say the exact opposite of that.Falley says that one of the most important takeaways that she feels Gibson would want their audience to know is for people to see whats possible with bad news: They would want folks to note that just because something that we culturally have decided is is bad luck or being dealt a bad hand doesn't require a bad attitude or a bad perspective to go along with it. When Gibson died, Falley let White know about their passing and sent a message to him and Willen saying, Make sure you both go out and find something beautiful today, because otherwise we missed the point.Come See Me in the Good Light is now streaming on Apple TV.