Film Review: ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ Has a Vibrant Performance From Amanda Seyfried to Shake You Alive

The Shakers are not exactly subject matter that I would assume easily translates to a film, let alone the musical biopic that The Testament of Ann Lee largely is. As a general rule, I’m not always the right target audience for religion related material, regardless. However, there’s something about this movie being almost a full blown musical that caught my attention. That, and coming from the creative forces that gave us The Brutalist last year pretty much means that you have to pay heed to this flick. At the end of the day, was it for me? No, not really. At the same time, is Amanda Seyfried amazing and worth the price of admission on her own? Absolutely.

The Testament of Ann Lee has a loose pace and uncompromising nature that will not prove to be for everyone. Hell, it isn’t really for me. That being said, the ambition on display from filmmaker Mona Fastvold, as well as Seyfried’s committed and vibrant turn, demands that you take notice. While I never felt transported and certainly wished for some better pacing, at the end, you do feel like you’ve seen something that you have not seen before, which counts for a lot these days.

The film looks at the nearly extinct religious sect known as the Shakers. After a musical beginning, we’re introduced to narrator Mary Partington (Thomasin McKenzie), who tells us the story of Ann Lee (Seyfried, though as a child both Esmee Hewett and Millie Rose Crossley). Raised in poverty during mid-18th-century Manchester, England, Lee is abused, as well as scarred by the sight of her parents fornicating. Ann’s younger brother William (Benjamin Bagota and Harry Conway) gives her comfort, though religious faith is where she really finds her center. It’s there that she discovers Jane Wardley (Stacy Martin) and her husband James (Scott Handy), who lead the “Shaking Quakers” sect. At gatherings, the group have a practice of dancing violently, as if in the midst of a seizure, believing it to cleanse their bodies of sin. Embracing them, Ann marries laborer Abraham (Christopher Abbott), though as each of their four children die in their first years of life, she decides that celibacy is the only way to prevent this sort of trauma.

Despite Abraham despising her celibacy, Ann creates her own offshoot of Shaking Quakerism, alongside a now grown William (Lewis Pullman). Along with her few followers, they decide that their home is far too sinful for their ways, and they set forth to America. The voyage is the first start of spreading her teachings and trying to gain a foothold in the world. Of course, spreading religion isn’t easy and comes with skepticism, resistance, and even worse from fellow settlers. Ann Lee’s life ends up a tragedy, even if she’s seen as a Christ-like figure among her followers, which today number in the low single digits.

Amanda Seyfried is best in show, doing phenomenal work. That takes nothing away from a very good Christopher Abbott and Lewis Pullman, nor a quite solid Thomasin McKenzie. It just speaks to have amazing Seyfried is, giving a physical performance that matches an emotional one. Fastvold doesn’t judge Ann Lee in the slightest, taking her in on her own terms, which is a tricky narrative decision, but one that pays off hugely in terms of the work being done by Seyfried. If she scores her second Academy Award nomination, it will be richly deserved. Her shaking alone is Oscar worthy, as there are few performances this year that can match the intensity shown here. In addition to the aforementioned children played by Benjamin Bagota, Harry Conway, Millie Rose Crossley, and Esmee Hewett, as well as Scott Handy and Stacy Martin, supporting players include Tim Blake Nelson, among many others.

Co-writer/director Mona Fastvold (co-writing with her partner Brady Corbet, which is the inverse of The Brutalist) has a hell of a unique idea here. Fastvold’s direction of the musical sequences, featuring the violent dancing, as well as music from Daniel Blumberg, really shines, captured fully by cinematographer William Rexer. On the other hand, the screenplay for The Testament of Ann Lee, from Corbet and Fastvold, never really grabbed me. It’s hardly bad, it just pales in comparison to the songs and dances on display. Blumberg really outdoes himself there.

The Testament of Ann Lee is a solid indie flick that is brought forward by Amanda Seyfried’s performance and the musical sequences. For some, that will be more than enough to warrant a recommendation. For others, it will fall short. As for me? I’m giving it a mild thumbs up, largely due to just how good Seyfried is. She almost single-handedly (aside from Daniel Blumberg’s contributions) made this a worthwhile experience, even as the rest hums just below where you’d like it to be.

SCORE: ★★★