In Mona Fastvold’s “The Testament of Ann Lee,” the dancing Shakers depicted on screen overlap with one another in a picturesque shot, encapsulating the worship and commitment to the religious sect. The actors surround a hysterical yet forgivable Amanda Seyfried, who plays Ann Lee, the founder of the Shakers.
Fastvold does justice to Lee’s story.
The Shakers, also known as the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, were a restorationist Christian sect based in mid-1700s England. The group was known as the “Shakers” due to their erratic bodily reactions to restorationist prayer and worship.
Religious sects like the Shakers emerged during the Protestant Reformation in protest against the Protestant Catholic Church. The Shakers diverged from a similar sect called the Quakers, who were similarly characterized by their trembling during ritualistic worship and prayer.
Lee was the founder and leader of the American Shaker sect. The Shakers prioritized celibacy, pacifism, and simple living, and eventually emigrated to British North America to spread their ideologies in the West.
“The Testament of Ann Lee” was directed by Fastvold, who co-wrote “The Brutalist” with her partner Brady Corbet. Fastvold conceived the idea for the film after hearing a Shaker hymn while finishing production of her 2020 film, “The World to Come.” The film received positive reception across the board, notably thanks to Seyfried’s enchanting performance, the choreography, and Fastvold’s daring stylistic choices.
Fastvold blends a culmination of themes and filmmaking approaches in “The Testament of Ann Lee,” including musical segments featuring Seyfried’s vocal talents, hypnotic choreographed dance numbers, vivid shots of scenic 18th-century England, and hauntingly grim visuals of poverty and trauma. The result is a film that feels both meditative and visceral, balancing historical reflection with an almost trance-like cinematic experience.
Seyfried offered an encapsulating performance as Lee, capturing the character’s hysteria while still garnering a heightened sympathy from the viewer. Fastvold uncovers Lee’s childhood trauma, experiences of relationship abuse, the devastating losses of her four children and the general stigma she faced surrounding sex and divine womanhood, allowing the audience to better understand the roots of her spiritual extremity rather than critiquing it.
While depicting a narrative heavily inspired by Lee’s story, Fastvold ties in themes of sin, celibacy, ecstasy, freedom and persecution, as well as a broader spiritual journey of women. She gives a modern spin to the story, allowing the audience to truly believe that Lee may possess a divine power from God, all while blurring the lines between fact and fiction.
In the film, Fastvold pays tribute to the original Shakers’ music, creating a modern twist on the absorbing amalgamation of Shakers’ hymns.
The original Shakers’ hymns were characterized by eruptive physical compulsions to prayer paired with their angelic voices. Fastvold captures the essence of the historical Shakers’ sound while also introducing a dissonant combination of individual vocal hymns that incorporate grunts and full-body jolts in her scenes depicting the Shakers’ worship.
Daniel Blumberg, the film’s musical composer, even offers modern versions of two original Shakers’ songs, “All Is Summer” and “I Hunger and Thirst,” adjusting them to better heighten the drama of the scenes.
In scenes where the Shakers erupt into synchronized song and dance, the sound design and choreography are outstanding. The Shakers move almost like the reanimated dead, swinging their arms, necks, and hair in synchronization with one another, as if in a possessed trance connected by one hive mind. Their bodies form a larger, nearly seamless image within the frame, merging into one hypnotic, moving mass as Lee stands at the center, leading the group in song. In the third and final act of the film, the score evolves from the thumping hums and chants of the Shakers into electrifying guitar solos and bass, culminating in the raw intensity of the film’s final act surrounding Lee’s persecution.
Choreographed by Celia Rowlson-Hall, the dance segments featured throughout the film embody the Shakers’ spiritual intensity through breathy, grunting chants and synchronized movement. These sequences nearly hypnotize the viewer, as the Shakers form patterns and waves of motion on the screen, pulling the audience deeper into both the story and their prayer.
The film features haunting visuals, telling a dark and intimate tale centered on the niche religious sect. These grim images contrast starkly with the painterly landscapes of mid-1700s England, creating a visual tension that lingers long after the screen fades. Fastvold also includes delicate title cards to pace the film’s three acts, reminiscent of 18th-century linework and folk art, reinforcing the story’s historical roots.
Ultimately, the film falls slightly flat in its uneven pacing. It begins strongly, fully engulfing the viewer in Lee’s story throughout the first act. Then the narrative stretches in the second act, dragging out the Shakers’ journey to America and losing some of its earlier intensity.
In the film’s ending credits, a sketch of two Shakers pays tribute to the remaining members of the sect’s community. The final active Shaker village is Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Maine, where three active members reside as of 2025.
“The Testament of Ann Lee” embodies Lee’s traumatic life without shying away from her grim past or the Protestant history of the Catholic Church. It reframes Lee’s story to remind viewers of early Christian sects while celebrating an empowering vision of womanhood forged through faith, struggle, and resilience.
Crissy Saucier can be reached at [email protected].
