Rob Reviews "The Testament of Ann Lee"

Normally, I advise against looking at any form of source material before seeing a film, but I need to make an exception with The Testament of Ann Lee.  In this particular case, it may help those unfamiliar to have a rudimentary knowledge about the sect known as the Shakers and the title character who would become the face and compass for this movement.

Amanda Seyfried (who keeps on proving to me that she can do just about anything given the vast range of characters she is choosing to portray) plays Lee, a religious young woman who is drawn in by the Shakers’ expressive and outward levels of faith.  She becomes a leading pastor for them (which in the 1700s is not looked well upon), and while she is imprisoned has a vision that she believes names her as the female Christ who has come to lead the righteous to eternal life.  Alongside her brother, William (Lewis Pullman), and niece Mary (Thomasin McKenize), they travel to America to continue their mission while taking resistance on a number of levels.

When I made my comments to our vendor here, I mentioned that I did not think it was possible for a film to be both an indie type of thing alongside and epic, but here we are.  Combining both traditional Shaker music with new additions written by Daniel Blumberg, I am not sure calling this a musical is necessarily accurate.  While there are numbers sung by the cast, the film itself does not rely on those songs to further the narrative in the way that a traditional musical tends to do.  The scope is grand (solid work by cinematographer William Rexer, who also handled the VERY underrated The Get Down), the vision is solid from Mona Fastvold (who co-wrote the script but doesn’t have a ton on her resume; she DOES have some acting experience in films like Vox Lux), but this is not a film that a lot of people will be able to engage with.  It’s VERY artsy, but is able to convey its story in a way that never had me getting distracted.  There are some tracking shots that are absolutely breathtaking (especially during the musical numbers), and the dream sequences leave enough to be asked to stick through this film all the way through.

I was able to get a screener link for The Testament of Ann Lee at the end of 2025, but I am honestly glad that I wasn’t able to get to it at the house.  This is the kind of film that needs to be seen on a big screen to take in all of its majesty.  If you are the type of person that leans more towards mainstream and tight storytelling, this may not be one to put high on your list, but understanding that art IS subjective, seeing the story of the Shakers unfold on the screen (stick through the credits to see how the sect evolved over the years) is truly a fascinating study into human behavior while wondering where the truth truly lies within its title character.