Ahead of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, political commentators on both sides of the aisle compared the fraught voting process to a kind of national biopsy. Now, “Come See Me in the Good Light” — a striking and airy documentary about genderqueer poet Andrea Gibson and their harrowing battle with ovarian cancer — is premiering at Sundance 2025 against a flurry of new anti-lgbtq steps recently taken by President Trump.

Director Ryan White delivers this touching look at the fragility of human life at an essential time for queer and trans people in media. White’s atypical portrait of Gibson — reminiscent of something like the tragicomic “50/50” from 2011 — relies on intimate beauty and sharp humor to champion the poet’s art, identity, and partner Megan Falley (also a poet) with optimism and vigor.

The well-spoken and likable subjects foster a generous tone that could earnestly inspire compassion from some less tolerant Americans. The...