The Shakers were a small religious movement which were founded in England in the mid-18^th Century and then spread to the eastern United States.  In some ways, they were quite progressive – they spoke out against slavery, they promoted gender equality and allowed female preachers, and they were industrious in building modern furniture included chairs, cabinets and baskets.  In other ways, they were quite strange – they practiced celibacy, they didn’t marry, they sang repeatedly, and they believed in the second coming of Christ.  Shakers are largely non-existent today (Wikipedia lists their membership as a lowly “3”) but their history is an interesting one.

When you see the names Monica Fastvold and Brady Corbet on a film poster, you’re in for something different with their works including The Childhood of a Leader and Vox Lux.  Their last outing was The Brutalist which, in addition to being one of my top 10 movies of last year, won three Academy Awards with Corbet credited as director and Fastvold as co-writer.  The roles are reversed for The Testament of Ann Lee with Fastvold seated in the director’s chair.

The film is centred on Ann Lee, the woman who founded the Shakers movement, but it’s more than a simple history lesson.  Instead of explaining everything through narration and dialogue, it provides a hypnotic, rhythmic experience where music, song and dance is used to capture the spirit of these characters and pull you into its world.  The camera finds itself in the middle of the action, the editing is well timed, the choreography is amazing, and the lyrics are easy to understand.  I’d contend it’s more impressive than traditional Hollywood musicals with my favourite musical number being “All is Summer” (the one on the ship).

Much has been made of Amanda Seyfried’s (The Dropout) omission from nomination lists this awards season.  Art is a subjective medium and there’ll always be debate about what constitutes a “great” performance but in my opinion, she deserves attention.  Seyfried is outstanding in the title role.  From the pain of losing a child, through to the unwavering conviction of her views, we see many sides to Ann Lee.  There’s much to chew on!  You might think her religious beliefs are bat-shit crazy, but she wasn’t someone driven by ego and power.  Lee genuinely cared for those inside her growing flock.

Further enhanced by its production values, it’s an impressive achievement for Fastvold to produce this inside of a $10 million USD budget.  The Testament of Ann Lee is not to be missed.