The way that someone worships is such a deeply personal experience that it almost becomes impossible to explain to anyone outside of their faith. While some do so in large groups, surrounded by likeminded individuals, others do so in a far more solitary manner. Ann Lee certainly worshiped in ways that were considering outside of the ordinary to some, and Mona Fastvold’s (“The Brutalist,” “The World to Come”) new film seeks to tell her story and spread her take on worship as far as a dramatic work can.
Set in the mid-1700s, “The Testament of Ann Lee” follows the life of Ann Lee, played by Amanda Seyfried (“Mamma Mia!,” “The Dropout”), the founder of the “Shakers” religion, a division of the Quaker faith characterized by rhythmic interpretive dancing and singing. As she begins to disturb the public in England, she and her flock, including her brother William, played by Lewis Pullman (“Bad Times at the El Royale,” “Thunderbolts*”), and her friend Mary, played by Thomasin McKenzie (“Jojo Rabbit,” “Last Night in Soho”), travel to colonial America where they seek to further establish their faith and community.
The most important and distinctive thing that Fastvold and co-writer Brady Corbet (“The Brutalist,” “Vox Lux”) do to set this “Testament” apart from not only other biopics but other faith-based films is in its depiction of Ann and her faith. Films like “God’s Not Dead” and similar works seek to present faith as something under attack, whereas their simpler approach of just showcasing someone deeply entranced in their worship is a far more compelling work. This becomes easier with the Shakers given their inherently visually stimulating way of worship, but this relatively simple idea of promoting Ann Lee’s faith simply by showing how and why she believes it means this central idea is directly communicated via the characters' actions. We’re being shown, not told.
It then helps even moreso that Seyfried’s performance is, quite simply, the crowning achievement of her career. Her talent is on full display here, and the conviction required to dive directly into a role like this is nothing short of incredible. This is the prime example of an actor giving themselves over to a role that will live in them for the rest of their career. It’s simply spectacular. Pullman is able to match much of her energy, albeit in a calmer, more reserved way, and his is a performance of equal weight. McKenzie both serves as a calming presence in Lee’s life as well as the calming narrator of the film, and each moment her soft voice perks up is a great one.
“Testament” will likely also be remembered as a film making full and complete usage of its slim budget. Shot for just $10 million, it looks sumptuous. The detailed craftsmanship of the Shaker homes and materials aren’t just recreated here to fantastic results, but the land Lee and her people inhabit feels truly like its own almost otherworldly place. Cinematographer William Rexer (“The Get Down,” “Summer Days, Summer Nights”) alternates between claustrophobic close-ups and expansive wide shots, allowing the beauty of the dancer’s movements to be on full display. But it’s the way the camera floats through the longer, more extravagant sequences that puts you directly in the works of Lee and her believers.
Fastvold and her team clearly put a lot of work into giving this tale a borderline dreamlike quality, and that all comes back to the film’s defining trait: the music. Choreographed by Celia Rowlson-Hall (“After Yang,” “Smile 2”), each sequence somehow manages to feel intricately performed and choreographed while also seeming freeing and uninhibited. It helps that the musical numbers, adapted from Shaker hymns by Daniel Blumberg (“The World to Come,” “The Brutalist”), are all transfixing. It’s hard to describe without getting into pure hyperbole, but there are moments in the film when, through the combination of the choreography and music, it makes you feel as though you’ve stumbled into the woods and are watching an intimate ballet of worship that makes you question if its real or not. So much of the film is dedicated to communicating that feeling that the more typical biopic moments stand out starkly in comparison. These segments aren’t bad and they do have a place in the overall narrative of the film, but given how interesting Ann Lee’s latter life is, the way that this early chunk of the film is told is less interesting that what comes after.
“The Testament of Ann Lee” is a fantastic showcase for a career best performance for Seyfried, but even beyond that it manages to be both an engrossing depiction of faith and worship in a more unconventional manner and a detailed and gorgeous display of dance and music. All three of those aspects on their own would be reason enough, but combined together it means that Fastvold’s feature is a dizzying and beautiful portrait of belief and motherly leadership. 4.5/5
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