Audrey's Children is a heartwarming biopic about a real-life hero most of us have never heard of, but should: Dr. Audrey Evans, a pioneering oncologist who began revolutionizing the care and treatment of children with cancer - and their families - in the early 1970s. 

 

Considered the first woman of oncology - and even perhaps the nation’s most significant female physician - Evans is thoughtfully and warmly portrayed by Natalie Dormer, whom I loved as Marjorie Tyrell in Game of Thrones.

 

There is difficult material here, including sick and dying children, animal testing, distraught families, rampant sexism and medical procedures. It is all handled deftly and with care by the film-makers, including writer/producer Julia Fisher Farbman and director Ami Canaan Mann.

 

The story moves swiftly along from Evans’ first day as chief of oncology for the renowned Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, or CHOP. Dr. Evans immediately wants to make changes: she wants to use kinder, more kid-friendly methods like bringing animals in to soothe and delight sick kids. She advocates for new and more aggressive treatment methods, flying in the face of how things have always been done. She even wants to brighten up the hallways, where families of children with cancer literally camp out in order to stay close to their sick and dying children.

 

In Audrey's Children, Dormer as Evans is quirky, kind to all and undoubtedly brilliant. She is portrayed as loving all living things, from plants to lab animals and of course to “her children” - the children in her care whom she cherishes and gives her all to. The supporting cast does a great job with their roles, as well.

 

We see Evans busting through the Old Boys’ Club, hospital protocol and departmental politics to get what she wanted, which was better care and more effective cancer treatments for children. Through her hard work and tireless energy - even teaching exercise classes in her spare time to raise money for cancer research and taking a patient family home to give them a place to stay near the hospital. Over time, Evans found funding, created the Evans Staging System for determining cancer prognosis and ultimately bought a nearby house for patient families to stay in, which through funding became the first Ronald McDonald House.

 

While watching Dormer’s excellent performance, I couldn’t help wonder if the personality traits Dr. Evans brought to the hospital would have been seen as bold and brave risk-taking in a man, but in a woman were instead seen as reckless and impulsive, resulting in her getting fired for a brief time. 

 

As a feminist movie buff, I also appreciated that there was not a single hint of romantic entanglement in this movie - just a skillfully-told story of an amazing woman forging ahead in a man’s world changing the lives around her with kindness, brilliance and bravery. 

 

Dr. Evans left her mark on pediatric oncology, bringing the survival rate up from 10% to 80% for pediatric neuroblastoma tumors. Likewise, this movie left its mark on me. I want to be sure that everyone I know learns the story of Dr. Audrey Evans, a woman who dedicated her life and career to saving and improving the lives of the sickest children and their families. 

 

This film is a must-watch for anyone working in healthcare, anyone interested in learning about feminist heroes, and anyone whose life has been touched by cancer, especially pediatric cancer.