Sundance doc ‘Andre is an Idiot’ turns cancer diagnosis into life-saving comedy

PARK CITY, Utah — There’s nothing funny about colon cancer, yet “Andre is an Idiot,” which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, manages to find humor in the darkest of moments while delivering a potentially life-saving message.

The film’s title comes from a pivotal moment: when André told his mother about his stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis, she responded, “What an idiot.” Her blunt reaction stemmed from a painful truth. Just a year earlier, André’s best friend had asked if he wanted to schedule a colonoscopy together, since both had reached the recommended screening age. André declined, missing an opportunity that could have saved his life.

Following his diagnosis, André sent a text message to his friend Lee Einhorn saying, “You were right.” Rather than retreating into despair, André immediately saw an opportunity to help others. From day one, he asked, “what if we made a movie to inspire people to get a colonoscopy?” The pair, who had been writing partners for 20 years, approached director Tony Benna with their unexpected proposal.

While André initially suggested using iPhones to document his journey, Benna envisioned something more substantial. The director chose to incorporate stop-motion animation, completing it himself because it was “rough around the edges and fits the situation.”

Throughout the film, André’s signature humor shines through. His directive to the crew remained consistent: “Make it fun! If it’s not funny, it is not worth doing.” The approach resonated with the Sundance audience, who laughed almost continuously through the first half of the film, with the humor carrying nearly to the end.

When asked about the project, André’s wife said she was “relieved” and “thrilled that he turned death into art while being surrounded by people he loved.” She observed that despite the expected ups and downs, the diagnosis revealed a different side of him, making him “open, tender and honorable, the opposite of normal.”

André died on Dec. 21, 2023, the winter solstice. The day before his death, he shared a final moment of connection with his longtime friend, telling Einhorn: “Just so you know. I would have done the same thing for you.” When Einhorn replied, “I guess we will never know,” André responded with the FO sign – maintaining his irreverent humor until the end.

The Sundance audience erupted into a standing ovation in an almost uniform motion. Looking ahead, the filmmakers plan to create public service announcements alongside the documentary, hoping to transform André’s story into a catalyst for cancer prevention.