Andrea Gibson was one of the most powerful and moving voices in contemporary poetry. The first non-binary poet to receive the title of Poet Laureate of Colorado, Andrea transformed spoken word into an experience of empathy, politics, and vulnerability, an art form in which body and language fused to reclaim humanity. Their poetry spoke of love, trauma, identity, and courage with the delicacy of someone who understood that the heart is both shelter and battleground.

By their side, poet and teacher Megan Falley shared not only the stage, but life itself, the laughter, the quiet moments, the silence. Partners in and out of art, Megan and Andrea built together a body of work rooted in love and resistance. From that intimacy came Come See Me in the Good Light, a documentary directed by Ryan White and produced by Tig Notaro, Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and others.

More than a story about illness, the film — winner of the Audience Award at Sundance and acquired by Apple TV+ — is a luminous elegy to living fully, even in the face of finitude. International critics have highlighted its disarming honesty, the balance between tenderness and humor, and its ability to turn pain into beauty. Andrea and Megan never hide from the disease: they share every gesture, every moment of frailty, every rediscovery of joy, in a journey of radical vulnerability.

It is an intimate, honest, sensitive, and profoundly emotional documentary. Megan and Andrea, who passed away one year after filming wrapped, allow us to witness a real, inspiring, deeply moving love as they face the worst kind of news. The result is a poetic record of the courage of an artist devoted to life, someone who turns even farewell into art.

Bravo was the only Brazilian publication to speak with Megan Falley. Within minutes, her sweetness, candor, and love for Andrea became evident. Here, she reflects on the making of the documentary, Andrea’s legacy, and the beauty of staying — even in absence.

Bravo! — How did the idea of documenting those moments come about? Was it a difficult decision?

Megan Falley: Not difficult at all. The moment we were asked if we would consider making the film, we said “yes” immediately. At that point, Andrea’s vision was already severely compromised, so writing on the computer was difficult. The idea that we could still create art, even as the body began to impose limits, was very appealing. And in a way, the body itself — its limitations, its fragility — became part of the art. As artists, we knew that suppressing creativity is never neutral. The documentary allowed us to keep creating without Andrea having to put their body at risk through touring or performing. It was something that would continue to travel, to touch people around the world, carrying the same message Andrea brought to the stage.

Bravo! — And how was the filming process? The result is so intimate that viewers feel as if they are in the room with you.

Megan Falley: Most of it was filmed by Brandon Somerhalder, the director of photography. He almost always used a tripod, and there were no handheld cameras invading the space. Everything was very natural, captured in the moment. We kept the same team throughout the entire process — same director, same producer, same sound operator — to preserve that sense of intimacy, like we were a small ecosystem. I think that’s why the film never feels intrusive: for us, it was simply like having friends in the room, witnessing moments that would normally be just ours.

Bravo! — How did it feel to see Andrea’s art — and yours as well — translated into cinema?

Megan Falley: What moved me most wasn’t even the poetry itself, because we were used to seeing it onstage, in interviews, in recordings. What touched me deeply was that, finally, the public could see the side of Andrea I fell in love with: the funny, eccentric, quick-witted, joy-filled person. Before the illness, we were always traveling and performing, and the world only saw the wise and vulnerable artist. But Andrea was also an incredible goofball — playful, light, deeply human. And cinema shows that in a way words simply can’t. The film shows what we had only ever been able to describe.

Bravo! — I imagine that watching it now, without Andrea, must be difficult.

Megan Falley: It is. Very. I cry every time. Watching the film without them is painful, but I also feel enormous gratitude for its existence. It’s rare to lose someone and have such a beautiful monument created for that person — and for the love we shared. There’s a moment in the film that always bothered me when Andrea was still alive: when they say that if they died, the people who loved them would become more themselves. I hated hearing that, because I wanted to convince the universe that nothing good could come from their death. But now, after their passing, I hear that line differently. It sounds like an invitation: to keep living as fully, vulnerably, and luminously as possible.

Bravo! — The film ends so subtly, without an explicit goodbye. Was that intentional?

Megan Falley: That was the filmmakers’ decision, not mine. But I think it’s beautiful that the film doesn’t end with a farewell. Andrea was still alive — and lived for another year after those scenes. Director Ryan White always said it wasn’t a film about dying, but about living. The hero didn’t need to die at the end.

Bravo! — And maybe that’s the most beautiful message: it’s not a film about death, but about the love that remains.

Megan Falley: Exactly. It’s about life — and about how it expands when we look at it through the right light.