The Testament of Ann Lee
Director: Mona Fastvold
Writer: Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Lewis Pullman, Thomasin McKenzie, Matthew Beard, Christopher Abbott, Viola Prettejohn, David Cale, Tim Blake Nelson
Seen on: 21.3.2026

Plot:
Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried) is from a poor family. When she isn’t working, she is looking for a spiritual connection together with her brother William (Lewis Pullman) and her sister Nancy (Viola Prettejohn). She finally finds it in a group of Quakers who worship through song and dance. Ann soon becomes a leading figure in the group, giving it a new direction.

I am not much of a religious person, but we rarely get to hear about female religious leaders, so I was definitely curious about this one – and very much engaged by the vision the film gives us.

I am not only not much of a religious person, but also not much of a gospel (as in the songs) person. The film features a lot of songs and dance numbers, as is befitting a movie about a religious movement that prays through dance. I was worried that this would struck me as weird, but it worked really well. So much so that I can actually see myself listening to the music outside of the film as well.

A lot of that has to do with Seyfried, who has proven her musical chops more than once, and is especially engaging here. I can absolutely understand why people would be drawn to Mother Ann if she was like that, and I have always appreciated the social engagement of the Quakers. I am not about to become a believer but the film made me understand the draw.

The film was more interested, though, in the ideas about physicality that are a big part of Ann Lee’s preaching. On the one hand, I have rarely seen a more physical way of worshipping than what the Shakers do in the film, complete with ecstasies and also a lot more physical closeness than I would have thought right for the time. Another big core of the Shakers’ belief is in the value of hard (physical) labor to reach god. At the same time, any kind of sexuality, even masturbation, even, it appears, for procreation’s sake, is completely villified and closes the gates to heaven. The film makes these contrasting ideas seem almost inevitable, certainly not in opposition to each other.

In any case, Ann Lee was a fascinating figure who achieved much and also faced many hardships. The movie condenses her life into two hours of fighting for a better world in a beautifully and expertly crafted film that kept me engaged at all times. I couldn’t ask for more.

Summarizing: excellent.