As writer and director, The Brutalist<\/em>\u2019s Mona Fastvold traces Ann\u2019s life from her youth through her death. However, she does so with such verve and wild rhythms that the result bears no resemblance to any biographical film I\u2019ve watched. That differentiation is clear from its eerie first dance sequence, choreographed by Celia Rowlson-Hall, who also did After Yang<\/em>\u2019s opening credits. For the entirety of its 135 minutes, The Testament of Ann Lee <\/em>blurs the border between musical, folk horror, and drama, birthing something entirely new that seems simultaneously too fragile and too strong for this world. It\u2019s a fever dream and a waking nightmare. It hovers between solemn and silly and uncanny and vividly realistic. It\u2019s so many things at once and unlike anything I\u2019ve seen before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Testament of Ann Lee<\/em> proclaims that it\u2019s \u201cbased on a true legend,\u201d and it thrives on the fact that most people know little about the Shakers or their founder, so there\u2019s no wondering when she\u2019s going to go electric or get drafted to the Korean War or whatever. Narrated by her follower and friend Mary Partington (Thomasin McKenzie), The Testament of Ann Lee <\/em>shares how Ann (an utterly enchanting Amanda Seyfried) started the Shaker sect and took a small group of fellow believers from England to America in the 18th century, including her loyal brother (Lewis Pullman) and her bewildered husband (Christopher Abbott). The New World promises a haven for their nascent religion, but they still encounter opposition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Testament of Ann Lee<\/em> speeds through its final act a bit too quickly, as though Ann herself is ready to be done with this earth and in heaven. With its largely spare plot, The Testament of Ann Lee<\/em> isn\u2019t overly concerned with the facts of her story; instead it devotes itself to the way that Ann connects to the divine through dancing and singing. She\u2019s the rare female church leader (both in her time and ours), and she advocates for equality, regardless of gender or race.<\/p>\n\n\n As much as The Testament of Ann Lee<\/em> feels like an excellent pairing with Fastvold\u2019s work on The Brutalist<\/em> in its themes about iconoclasts and the American dream, it\u2019s even more in step with The Witch<\/em>. They\u2019re both very much a vibe, while being on very different wavelengths. Robert Eggers\u2019 2015 horror film is set a century before this one, and Anya Taylor-Joy\u2019s Thomasin takes an entirely spiritual different path, but both women explore female power in a male-dominated world, as well as the connection between the body and soul. Ann experiences religious rapture through song and dance, all while denying sexual pleasure and embracing celibacy as a key way to connect with God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Brutalist <\/em>composer Daniel Blumberg adapted traditional Shaker songs for the score, and they\u2019re sung by characters in an apparent state of ecstasy. Seyfried\u2019s sweet soprano weaves beautifully with the notes of her fellow faithful, and it\u2019s rousing to hear these voices singing together. I don\u2019t think I knew any of these songs, but there\u2019s something immediately familiar about them; their simple structure makes them easy to embed in your brain and feel like you could sing along the first time you hear them. Rowlson-Hall designed dance sequences that feel oddly organic, even while characters move in unison. It\u2019s moving and unsettling all at once, making for a strangely spiritual experience, even for a skeptic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With The Testament of Ann Lee<\/em>, Fastvold has made something ineffable. Most films are so easy to pin down and explain, but her movie writhes out of your grasp, like a dream you\u2019re trying to remember in the moments after waking. It swings big, a rarity for both the biopic genre and for movies in general. It mostly connects, doing so on a cinematic level as well as a spiritual one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “The Testament of Ann Lee” is out Christmas Day in select theaters.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/testament2-1024x503.webp\")
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