Stories of religion are often hard to watch. Especially for those who come from religious backgrounds. But Mona Fastvold’s The Testament of Ann Lee balances the tight rope of historical drama and religious baggage beautifully.
Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried) is the religious leader of a group known as the Shakers. The religious group established communities throughout many places in the United States after Lee left her home in Manchester. And what we get to see in Fastvold’s version of Lee’s story is the need to find some kind of peace with her life and what has happened to her, and the people who dedicated their lives to the views of the Shakers.
Captured beautifully in musical moments that include a lot of pounding on your chest and expressing your anguish through music and movement, The Testament of Ann Lee is less about the religion and more about the pain these individuals feel. Ann Lee finds the church after the death of her children. Whether it is before they’re born or shortly after, all of Ann’s children die and she sees that as her sign from a higher being to be celibate.
And there are many around Ann that are drawn to her and her visions and much of the film is Ann, her brother William (Lewis Pullman), and the Shakers all trying to spread their gospel. And in a movie where it can easily feel like people preaching to you to believe something “different,” Ann Lee masters the art of capturing why so many turn to faith in times of trial and tribulation.
Music is healing to all
Part of the allure of The Testament of Ann Lee for me was always the music of it. Religion has never really been part of my story with the exception of the Catholic guilt that takes over when you grow up in an Italian, Scottish, and Irish household. So watching people fall into the traps of a “religious cult” always felt foreign to me.
But the thing I can understand is a group of people connecting over music and shared grief. Maybe not the celibacy of it all but the other stuff, I can see. Part of what makes this film and story so fascinating is the way Fastvold films the musical numbers. The Testament of Ann Lee‘s songs almost feel like a sexual experience in themselves, allowing the body to give into the music before them instead of the more carnal desires they once felt.
And each song flows so beautifully with the rest of the songs in the piece that you get excited by the newest song presented to you.
Keeping faith above all else
Like I said before, if you watch The Testament of Ann Lee and only see the religious aspect of the film, you’re missing the beauty of community that the film displays. Music can be healing and that’s why songs like “Beautiful Treasures” is so moving to see on screen. The power that music has on the Shakers is captivating to watch, even if it isn’t necessarily something you would relate to.
But even if you subscribe to the church of Ann Lee (though, I do subscribe to the church of Amanda Seyfried,) there is something beautiful in The Testament of Ann Lee. The Fastvold film hits theaters on Christmas Day.
(featured image: 20th Century)
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