When Ryan White initially asked producer Tig Notaro why documentaries aren’t funnier, he did not expect her to pitch a queer poet’s terminal cancer journey as the antidote.
“Tig called us a couple years ago with this idea,” the director said at TheWrap’s Sundance Studio presented by World of Hyatt. “We said truly what could be a less funny combination of words than poetry and cancer?”
After meeting the soon-to-be subjects of “Come See Me in the Good Light,” White — previously best known for directing docs like “Good Night Oppy” and “Pamlea: A Love Story” — quickly changed his mind. White and Notaro’s unlikely documentary charts poet laureate Andrea Gibson’s journey with ovarian cancer. Following the now 49-year-old writer, who uses they/them pronouns, the film shows them navigating life after the diagnosis and enjoying the time left with partner and fellow poet Megan Falley. It highlights the manner with which the subjects communicate in a genuinely humorous and joyful manner – one of the reasons Notaro knew that this documentary would be special.
“I couldn’t get started fast enough. I saw it so clearly,” Notaro said. “I was like, ‘This is going to Sundance. This movie is going to be incredible.’ … I didn’t have an exact vision, personally, other than I know in every fiber of my being that Andrea and Meg are so interesting, funny, intelligent, inspiring — all of the amazing things, and just captivating people. And I knew that whatever order, whatever storytelling was going to be happening, I knew they were going to be perfect subjects. I really trusted that.”
“It’s definitely the funniest film I’ve made,” White said of the queer cancer doc. “It is heartbreaking, but it’s funny.”
“It’s like a Will Ferrell movie,” Notaro quipped. “The level of laughter that was happening in that theater.”
Gibson’s cancer is aggressive and unrelenting, putting them through several rounds of chemotherapy and surgeries over the course of the documentary. But even in the moments where their life felt hopeless, the couple’s mentality remains strong.
“The assumption from the beginning, and this was Andrea’s assumption too, was that they would die before this film came out and that the film would document their death,” White said. “But spoiler alert, Andrea is still alive and the film ends with them still alive.”
Gibson even attended the premiere of the film at Sundance, a moment that Notaro and White described as surreal.
The comedian said that making this documentary was “the easiest and most positive, love-filled experience.” White added that he had never made a documentary this quickly. The team started production in February 2024, editing as they went. The director said that sometimes this level of intimacy and trust takes months to cultivate, but with Gibson and Falley it took hours.
“The problem became that everything with Andrea and Meg was good,” White said, noting that oftentimes the team had so much content they did not have enough time to sift through it all. “Andrea and Meg were just ready,” he said.
Though White has had several documentary films premiere at Sundance, he said “Come See Me in the Good Light” was his first that had come to the festival unsold. The documentary was completely independently funded.
Garnering financial support for the film came easily because people wanted to support this couple and share their story, Notaro said. Abby Wambach and Glennon Doyle chipped in half a million dollars to the film within minutes, and Sara Bareilles and Brandi Carlile teamed up to write an original song for the film, she added.
“This adds up,” Notaro told TheWrap, saying this did not come as a surprise to her. “This is exactly what I envisioned: green lights all the way.”
The Tripod Media and Amplify Pictures Production is still seeking distribution.
Watch TheWrap’s interview with White and Notaro in the video above.
The post Tig Notaro Isn’t Surprised Her Peers Rallied Around a Queer Cancer Doc on Andrea Gibson: ‘Green Lights All the Way’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.