Of Medicine and Miracles

This bracing documentary compassionately weaves together six-year-old Emily Whitehead’s battle with leukemia and the hope and desperation of her family, with the humility and perseverance of one committed doctor on the vanguard of cancer research. Of Medicine and Miracles is a compelling film due to the honesty of its home-video laden storytelling, the steadfast courage of the charismatic child and her parents at its center, and Dr. Carl June who, despite personal loss and resistance from the medical community, is determined to find a cure for cancer. Academy Award-winning director Ross Kauffman is a master at exploring the area between anticipation and fear. The stakes in this film are real, and the precarity of Whitehead’s situation is felt in every scene. But Kauffman never lets the suspense of the story overshadow the sensitivity with which he treats his subject. Of Medicine and Miracles lives in that elusive space between triumphant narrative and empathetic documentary. (Woodstock Film Festival)