The Testament Of Ann Lee film review: A baffling one-off
Amanda Seyfried leads the choir in this ambitious (and very curious) musical about a real-life 18th century cult
Mona Fastvold, co-writer of The Brutalist and director of The World To Come, is at the helm of this eccentric and uncompromising musical. It opens our eyes to the eponymous trailblazer, the little-known founder of radical religious movement the Shakers, who Fastvold has enticingly described as ‘one of the first American feminists’.
Born in 18th-century Manchester into humble circumstances, Ann is played with apposite intensity by Amanda Seyfried, sporting a somewhat uncertain Mancunian accent. We see Ann suffer the death of four children before being struck by a religious epiphany. Basing her belief system around abstinence from sex, this newfound spiritual leader emigrates to America with her followers to spread the word. Christopher Abbott plays Abraham, Ann’s sexually frustrated husband, Lewis Pullman is her devoted, true-believer brother William, while Thomasin McKenzie and Stacy Martin play acolytes.
Fastvold is brilliant at giving us the context for Ann’s religious convictions, showing us the trauma she endures and the likely explanation for her visions. And yet she’s also portrayed as someone whose motivations appear predominantly pure, and whose ideas about gender and racial equality are ahead of their time.
Co-scripted with Fastvold’s partner and director of TheBrutalist, Brady Corbet, this is a film that is emphatically not for everyone; narratively unconventional and long, it also features scenes of significant misery. However, it is strikingly well-executed. The musical format is a fitting choice for a movement whose religious convictions and sense of community were expressed through ecstatic song and dance. The songs blend seamlessly into the action and score (Oscar winner Daniel Blumberg is behind the music), while the film also benefits from beautiful choreography and committed performances. Ultimately, it’s hard not to be in awe of what Fastvold has achieved here. It’s a real one-off.
The Testament Of Ann Lee in cinemas from Friday 20 February.