"A film about faith and other leaps, Mona Fastvold's remarkable The Testament of Ann Lee does not ask us to endorse or embrace the tenets of the 18th-century English sect called United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Coming, aka Shaking Quakers, aka the Shakers. Given that an important principle of co-founder Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried) was celibacy, many viewers would find that a bridge too far."
"Several of the Shakers' other core values, like cooperation, collaboration, ecstasy and equality among genders resonate clearly, especially for anyone who can recall the Northern California communes of the 1960s and 70s. The pleasure and power of The Testament of Ann Lee (opening Jan. 23), though, is not to be found in the utopian speeches but in surrendering to the selfless exhibition of true believers believing."
"The departure of the Shakers by boat to America in 1774, trading the Old World for the New, is a hugely important development for the sect. The movie opens up as well, with Manchester's drab, chilly confines replaced by America's broad vistas and natural light. These dances don't just prevent The Testament of Ann Lee from succumbing to the stuck-in-wax fate of a lot of standard biopics and period pieces."
The Testament of Ann Lee follows co-founder Ann Lee and the Shaker sect, portraying core values of cooperation, collaboration, ecstasy and gender equality alongside the principle of celibacy. The film centers on ritual dance and physical worship as methods of entrancement rather than doctrinal persuasion. A key narrative moment is the Shakers' 1774 departure to America, shifting the visual palette from Manchester's drab confines to broad natural vistas. Choreography and movement prevent the film from feeling like a static period biopic and instead generate magic and immediacy while showing tensions inherent in utopian experiments.
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