January 15, 2026
FILM: THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE
DIRECTED BY: MONA FASTVOLD
STARRING: AMANDA SEYFRIED, LEWIS PULLMAN, THOMASIN MCKENZIE
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Here’s a story I knew nothing about, nor ever thought I’d care about, but thanks to the directorial vision of director Mona Fastvold and the script she co-wrote with her current life partner Brady Corbet (director of last year’s The Brutalist) it’s a pretty intense and enlightening film about Ann Lee, who was the founder of the Shaker religious movement beginning in England in 1736 and later in colonial America. The film starts with women dancing in the woods, looking like a bunch of on-stage pilgrims. This sets the tone of the story which is filled with music, dancing, and a committed illustration of one group’s undeniable spiritual devotion.
Amanda Seyfried stars as Ann Lee who we first learn believed she saw visions from heaven as a child. She also demonstrates a disdain for images of people engaged in sexual acts. This sets up her strong belief in chastity to experience God which becomes an issue with her husband Abraham, played by Christopher Abbott. Ann ends up having multiple children who die during or just after childbirth. Yet she remains completely committed to her belief system which attracts a significant following in her home town in Manchester. She eventually becomes known as “Mother” to all, including her brothers played by Lewis Pullman and Matthew Beard and sister Mary, played by Thomasin McKenzie, who also narrates the story.
To watch and perhaps appreciate The Testament of Ann Lee is to be stay within its boundaries. This is a film that doesn’t shy away from its intense depiction of Ann’s followers dancing wildly, waling, and being actively engaged in other ritualistic behaviors. I’ve no doubt there will be viewers who will turn off the film or at least laugh at how these people are depicted. Fastvold dives in wholeheartedly into their point of view so that we can understand their seemingly strange mystical relationship with God. Still, it’s a bit shocking and yet admirable to see how committed Fastvold is to the Shakers’ outward expression of devotion. At times, it almost feels like a performance art piece rather than a complete, traditional narrative.
Yet as the story continues we get a few peaks into the cracks of the system. Ann’s need for celibacy proves too much for Abraham as he seeks out a prostitute to satisfy his needs. Brother William (Pullman) is seen in bed with another man early on but then gives him up. It would be curious to see this get developed further than it does but his own commitment to his sister’s cause is the central focus here. Other films might have expanded on the realities of desire and lust in this world but Fastvold holds on to Ann’s visions leaving little room for us to question if Ann is disillusioned or too extreme.
Ann and her followers end up in New York and begin spreading their version of God’s word throughout New England. Some see her as a witch and a traitor for not wanting to fight for America’s independence. She’s accused of treason and imprisoned for a period of time. Essentially, Fastvold depicts her as the hero and anyone in the New World disagreeing with her are the villians. We don’t really get their perspectives. This narrative remains with Ann Lee.
Amanda Seyfried is fierce and commanding as the character. She is completely in line with the character’s values and modes of expressing them. It is a very physical performance from her and most of the actors appearing in the film. The dance numbers are intense and meticulously choreographed. As music pervades this story, Seyfried’s singing voice is also in excellent form.
Fastvold and her team do a pretty remarkable job of recreating 18th Century England and America. Sets and costumes feel lived in and true to the times which is also bleak and foreboding thanks to the drab colors and lighting used.
The only way to really view this film is to accept its singular vision recreating the founding of the Shaker Movement. While some of it might seem over the top and one-sided it is true to its cause. Like watching a superhero or science fiction movie, one can either accept the world being created or check out after a few minutes into the wildly different experience happening on screen.
The Testament of Ann Lee opens in theaters this week.
FILM: THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE
DIRECTED BY: MONA FASTVOLD
STARRING: AMANDA SEYFRIED, LEWIS PULLMAN, THOMASIN MCKENZIE
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Here’s a story I knew nothing about, nor ever thought I’d care about, but thanks to the directorial vision of director Mona Fastvold and the script she co-wrote with her current life partner Brady Corbet (director of last year’s The Brutalist) it’s a pretty intense and enlightening film about Ann Lee, who was the founder of the Shaker religious movement beginning in England in 1736 and later in colonial America. The film starts with women dancing in the woods, looking like a bunch of on-stage pilgrims. This sets the tone of the story which is filled with music, dancing, and a committed illustration of one group’s undeniable spiritual devotion.
Amanda Seyfried stars as Ann Lee who we first learn believed she saw visions from heaven as a child. She also demonstrates a disdain for images of people engaged in sexual acts. This sets up her strong belief in chastity to experience God which becomes an issue with her husband Abraham, played by Christopher Abbott. Ann ends up having multiple children who die during or just after childbirth. Yet she remains completely committed to her belief system which attracts a significant following in her home town in Manchester. She eventually becomes known as “Mother” to all, including her brothers played by Lewis Pullman and Matthew Beard and sister Mary, played by Thomasin McKenzie, who also narrates the story.
To watch and perhaps appreciate The Testament of Ann Lee is to be stay within its boundaries. This is a film that doesn’t shy away from its intense depiction of Ann’s followers dancing wildly, waling, and being actively engaged in other ritualistic behaviors. I’ve no doubt there will be viewers who will turn off the film or at least laugh at how these people are depicted. Fastvold dives in wholeheartedly into their point of view so that we can understand their seemingly strange mystical relationship with God. Still, it’s a bit shocking and yet admirable to see how committed Fastvold is to the Shakers’ outward expression of devotion. At times, it almost feels like a performance art piece rather than a complete, traditional narrative.
Yet as the story continues we get a few peaks into the cracks of the system. Ann’s need for celibacy proves too much for Abraham as he seeks out a prostitute to satisfy his needs. Brother William (Pullman) is seen in bed with another man early on but then gives him up. It would be curious to see this get developed further than it does but his own commitment to his sister’s cause is the central focus here. Other films might have expanded on the realities of desire and lust in this world but Fastvold holds on to Ann’s visions leaving little room for us to question if Ann is disillusioned or too extreme.
Ann and her followers end up in New York and begin spreading their version of God’s word throughout New England. Some see her as a witch and a traitor for not wanting to fight for America’s independence. She’s accused of treason and imprisoned for a period of time. Essentially, Fastvold depicts her as the hero and anyone in the New World disagreeing with her are the villians. We don’t really get their perspectives. This narrative remains with Ann Lee.
Amanda Seyfried is fierce and commanding as the character. She is completely in line with the character’s values and modes of expressing them. It is a very physical performance from her and most of the actors appearing in the film. The dance numbers are intense and meticulously choreographed. As music pervades this story, Seyfried’s singing voice is also in excellent form.
Fastvold and her team do a pretty remarkable job of recreating 18th Century England and America. Sets and costumes feel lived in and true to the times which is also bleak and foreboding thanks to the drab colors and lighting used.
The only way to really view this film is to accept its singular vision recreating the founding of the Shaker Movement. While some of it might seem over the top and one-sided it is true to its cause. Like watching a superhero or science fiction movie, one can either accept the world being created or check out after a few minutes into the wildly different experience happening on screen.
The Testament of Ann Lee opens in theaters this week.