A film about faith and other leaps, Mona Fastvold’s remarkable The Testament of Ann Lee does not ask us to endorse or embrace the tenets of the 18th-century English sect called United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Coming, aka Shaking Quakers, aka the Shakers. Given that an important principle of co-founder Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried) was celibacy, many viewers would find that a bridge too far.
Entrancing ‘Testament of Ann Lee’ Relays the Shakers’ Saga in Song and Dance
Amanda Seyfried and ensemble in 'The Testament of Ann Lee.' (Searchlight Pictures/William Rexer)
Several of the Shakers’ other core values, like cooperation, collaboration, ecstasy and equality among genders resonate clearly, especially for anyone who can recall the Northern California communes of the 1960s and 70s. The pleasure and power of The Testament of Ann Lee (opening Jan. 23), though, is not to be found in the utopian speeches but in surrendering to the selfless exhibition of true believers believing. If you are willing to be entranced — to accede from time to time to a trance state — you will have a uniquely thrilling time at the movies.
The story opens in the 1740s in Manchester, England, where the child Ann labors in a textile factory. As she grows up, her spiritual journey takes her to Jane and James Wardley (Stacy Martin and Scott Handy), through whose fervid Quaker prayer group she meets her husband Abraham Standerin (Christopher Abbott) and develops her specific philosophy.
Marriage brings physical and psychic pain, and Ann’s crucible is further forged in the fire of family tragedy. Even as she is accepted by many of the Wardley circle and her stalwart brother William (Lewis Pullman) as the true leader, Mother Ann (as she is now called) captures the unwelcome attention of the powers-that-be and is incarcerated for a couple weeks.
The Shakers’ saga comes into focus as a familiar dynamic of nonconformity and determination, fueled by the certainty of religious faith, running into both official and street opposition, with blood being spilled. We judge for ourselves how much of the animosity is an overreaction to noisy praying and how much is fear and hatred of a powerful woman.
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The departure of the Shakers by boat to America in 1774, trading the Old World for the New, is a hugely important development for the sect. The movie opens up as well, with Manchester’s drab, chilly confines replaced by America’s broad vistas and natural light.
Fastvold and Brady Corbet’s literate script, brought to pulsing life by a committed cast led by Seyfried, carries The Testament of Ann Lee a long way. But a wholly unexpected element puts the film over the top.
As Vincent Minnelli and Bob Fosse artfully demonstrated, music and movement — song and dance — are powerful vehicles for not only conveying deep emotions but enrolling audiences in leaps of joy and amazement and flights of mind. Daring to dare is the sentiment at the heart of a movie musical, and the quality that moviegoers respond to.
The Testament of Ann Lee isn’t exactly a musical in the sense that the songs don’t tell the story. Fastvold and composer Daniel Blumberg (whose score for Fastvold and Corbet’s The Brutalist won the Oscar last year) chose a dozen melodies from the Shaker hymnal archive, and Celia Rowlson-Hall choreographed a mix of individual and ensemble numbers.
These dances don’t just prevent The Testament of Ann Lee from succumbing to the stuck-in-wax fate of a lot of standard biopics and period pieces. They bring the magic, and the entrancement, without feeling anachronistic and pulling us out of the 18th century.
The Testament of Ann Lee is set in a world very different from ours and also not so different, a world of mysteries and dangers where people fear new ideas and are made to fear newcomers. Where superstitions or religious dogma or conspiracy theories are cited to soothe our uncertainty.
Perhaps every utopian endeavor is fated to come to an end, whether from internal dynamics or external forces. Maybe our task is to take inspiration from the faith and the effort. The Testament of Ann Lee asks us to consider whether we are on the side of the creators or the destroyers.
‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ opens Jan. 23, 2026 in Bay Area theaters.
