THE STORY – The untold true story of trailblazing physician and co-founder of Ronald McDonald House Charities, Dr. Audrey Evans.
THE CAST – Natalie Dormer, Clancy Brown, Jimmi Simpson, Evelyn Giovine & Brandon Micheal Hall
THE TEAM – Ami Canaan Mann (Director/Writer) & Julia Fisher Farbman (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 110 Minutes
As long as visual storytelling exists, so will the biography. To learn through stories is a basic part of our human existence, and some of those stories are true stories. How else will we learn about revolutionaries or icons of popular culture? There are so many important stories about humanity featuring people who change society for the better. “Audrey’s Children” is another one of those films.
It centers on Dr. Audrey Evans (Natalie Dormer), who pioneered a new treatment for pediatric Neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive cancer that, at the time, had a 90% fatality rate. As the Chief of Pediatric Oncology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, we see Dr. Evans caring for these children while continuing her research in pursuit of finding a new and effective treatment for her patients. Here, she discovers the harsh reality of being a woman in a male-dominated field, the intense pressure of convincing shareholders to donate more for research funding, and learning about the troubles a cancer diagnosis has on the entire patient’s family.
The film has a lot going on, in addition to the incredibly emotional themes of fatal pediatric cancer. Thankfully, director Ami Canaan Mann is able to balance the somber elements with the lighthearted ones. From the first shot, the audience knows Dr. Evans is one in a million. She’s witty, charismatic, and not afraid to ask for what she wants, but she is also incredibly kind and empathetic. They say it takes a special soul to work in pediatric oncology, and Dr. Audrey Evans is the perfect example of that, for which Dormer plays wonderfully. One can see that Evans is both determined to be the best doctor for her patients and is also a gentle soul who understands the severity of her field. She knows when to be combative, and she knows when to counsel. She’s the Mary Poppins of medicine.
Since the audience immediately roots for Audrey due to Domer’s performance, it can also make it through the medical jargon and science-based scenes throughout the film. Now, while the story of Dr. Evans figuring out a more effective treatment is interesting, it may not be for people who aren’t familiar with immunology, biology, or medicine in general. What’s most effective and resonant are the scenes in which Dr. Evans is speaking to the parents of her patients, who come from all different backgrounds. Some, after receiving a devastating diagnosis and prognosis, have to decide between paying their rent or paying for their child’s (potentially) lifesaving treatment. It’s here that Audrey vows to make a place for families to inhabit during their children’s stay in the hospital free of charge to focus solely on their child’s treatment. This idea would later become the first Ronald McDonald House, which currently has over 300 homes across the world. This discovery, even though it’s not as “scientifically relevant” as discovering a different and effective type of treatment, is just as important but takes a backseat for most of the film. In hindsight, it makes sense why Mann wanted to highlight Dr. Evans’s scientific relevance, but her impact on the families of cancer patients is also equally as relevant. In addition, it’s an element of the film that has more heart and one that audiences are more likely to engage with. The result of putting this discovery above the hunt for a new chemotherapy would have been a more positive film that had a stronger emotional chord.
Dr. Evans had a lot of uphill battles in the pursuit of saving the lives of millions of children. Being a leading female doctor in 1969, she was forced to overcome inherent sexism and misogyny. She was a doctor, researcher, lobbyist, and counselor all at once. But “Audrey’s Children” never falls into melodrama – a direction many unskilled directors would take this story. To Dr. Evans, her patients are her children, and their livelihood is her responsibility. This is evident throughout the entire film as she overcomes every obstacle put in her path to be her patients’ advocate because the most vulnerable patients fighting the most aggressive disease deserve a shot at a future.
Today, Neuroblastoma has an 80% survival rate, with higher chances of survival for patients under the age of five. In addition, the Ronald McDonald House has housed millions of families all over the world free of charge so they can dedicate all of their resources to fighting this terrible disease. Both of these remarkable achievements are due to Dr. Evans and her continued commitment to the physical and emotional health of her patients and their families. She truly was the “Mary Poppins of Medicine” who not only gave these children a fighting chance but helped ensure their futures. And that’s something “Audrey’s Children” successfully gets across in spades.
