REVIEW: ‘The Testament Of Ann Lee’ Is A Triumph Of Movement

Mona Fastvold’s The Testament of Ann Lee, co-written with Brady Corbet, is a triumph of movement, music, and passion. As the titular Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried) becomes entwined with a growing religious movement that will come to be known as the Shakers, her personal odyssey becomes the backbone of the cultish religious sect. A musical set to the most stunning dance choreography and cinematography, The Testament of Ann Lee is simply sensational.

Ann’s philosophy on life, faith, and community is shaped from a very young age. As a child, she witnesses her father force her mother to conceive a child, and as a married adult, she suffers abuse from her husband after multiple horrifyingly depicted miscarriages and infant deaths. Resultingly, Ann believes there is nothing more sinful than carnal relations. As she becomes a leader among the Shakers, this belief becomes first and foremost in her teachings and her expectations.

The Testament of Ann Lee translates passion perfectly through song and dance.

As such, there are two base tragedies about the Shaker movement. First, her community can hold no space for people who transgress against this sin. Second, the movement is doomed to die out unless it can recruit more followers through their hearts, rather than their wombs. Ann, who quickly comes to be seen by the Shakers as the living embodiment of Christ, leads her people to evangelization with the support of her brother William (Lewis Pullman) and a cast of other disciples.

The Testament of Ann Lee does not shy away from the fact that the Shakers are essentially a cult. It is clear that their beliefs have the potential to cause unintended harm to their community. And it’s even clearer that their singular devotion to Ann puts them in the violent crosshairs of the Shakers’ decenters.

But the movie never for a moment casts judgment on Ann or the Shakers. Their sincerely held beliefs are celebrated as they’re channeled into passionate love for one another, for the earth they toil, and the hard work that goes into building and maintaining their community. 

The cinematography is utterly unique and captures the enormity of the dancers’ emotions. 

Most famously, though, this passion is translated into the universe through intense, full-bodied dancing. A substantial amount of The Testament of Ann Lee is song and dance. Every single musical scene is spectacular.

The choreography is like nothing else on film, with sharp and bizarre movements, usually in large groups in concentric circles. The synchronization is precise and powerful, and the camera is always in precarious positions to capture the absolute beauty of the human form.

Overhead shots, in particular, create a sense of enormity in the movement, capturing the large number of dancers at once to portray a vibrant, connected community. The same type of ecstatic movement is present in moments of jubilation, tragedy, and deep fear. Singing and dancing are a constant in the Shakers’ lives, no matter the circumstances, and that fervor is utterly contagious.

The Testament of Ann Lee is a complicated text that doesn’t require translation.

The Testament of Ann Lee doesn’t ask you to agree with the Shaker’s beliefs. It doesn’t even ask you to understand them. There is a seemingly willful ignorance of some of Ann’s philosophies. Many of her tenets are built on a whim in response to her own experiences as a means of self-preservation.

Instead, the movie simply invites you to respect the Shakers. There is a cautionary tale in the repercussions of falling into a cult and the void that one still could never fill. But the movie also appreciates that in the end, the Shakers are only principally interested in being left to build and tend to their community. The movie doesn’t even show off their renowned furniture until the very end, choosing to focus on the heart of their community rather than the physical fruit of their labor.

The Testament of Ann Lee is a complicated text, but it is a passionately beautiful movie that’s dance and song translates everything immaculately. All it takes to appreciate the movie’s splendor is to be engrossed in the passionate movement of its performers. Captured with perfect cinematography, the movie is a stand-out depiction of religious zeal and sincere care for one’s work, community, and land.

The Testament of Ann Lee is playing in theaters on December 25th.