Review 781: The Testament of Ann Lee
The Testament of Ann Lee is like having a fever dream An acid trip so exhaustingly bonkers, you'd have to be mad to see it - and that's why you should. This is a musical (in effect, not genre). I wouldn't describe this film as a musical because the The film spans England and America in the 18th-century and follows the rise of spiritual leader Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried) from factory worker to forge the radical religious movement that will become the Shakers. Haunted by the deaths of her four children in infancy yet driven by an unshakable belief in gender equality, communal living and ecstatic devotion, she gathers devoted followers who come to see her as the female embodiment of Christ. As persecution intensifies, Ann fights to protect both her followers and the ancient utopia they have begun to create. I'll freely confess that I'd never heard of Ann Lee before seeing this film but it is truly a remarkable story that director Mona Fastvold has brought to the big sc...
