Ann Lee, the founding leader of the Shaker Movement, proclaimed as the female Christ by her followers. Depicts her establishment of a utopian society and the Shakers’ worship through song and dance, based on real events.
Usually, I’m a strong advocate for going into a film blind. You might have some expectations based on who directed it or who’s in the cast, but ideally, you go in with a mostly blank slate, allowing the film to speak for itself. Sometimes, though, that approach backfires, leaving you in the less-than-ideal position of sitting through a movie and never quite grasping what it’s trying to give you.
That was very much my experience with writer/director Mona Fastvold’s esoteric take on the life of Shaker founder Ann Lee. I knew nothing about the subject or the religious movement going into “The Testament of Ann Lee,” and aside from the glowing festival buzz and the enigmatic trailer, I didn’t have much in the way of expectations. I did learn beforehand that this was from the same creative team behind last year’s “The Brutalist,” which I thought was fantastic — Fastvold co-wrote both films with Brady Corbet, who directed “The Brutalist.” In hindsight, maybe my excitement to view this film was a little too high.
From a technical viewpoint, there’s plenty to admire here. The costumes and set design are particularly striking, convincingly evoking the late 1700s. The performances across the board are strong. Every member of Ann Lee’s sect appears perpetually on the verge of religious ecstasy every time they gather to worship. Amanda Seyfried, who stars as the titular persona, fully commits and is clearly operating at the top of her game. Even the choreography for the musical bits (yes, this is a musical of sorts) is often intriguing, occasionally giving off some Busby Berkeley-style flair.
However, this is where the film began to lose me. Fastvold isn’t clear in her intent. Why tell this story, and why tell it this way? The film offers no real foothold for engagement, emotional or otherwise. It plods along, frequently coming to a dead stop for Shaker hymns and extended dance sequences that contribute little to what’s already been established.
Complicating matters further is Fastvold’s unclear stance on Ann Lee and the Shakers themselves. While most of the movie plays things straight, there is at least one scene that veers into broad, over-the-top cartoonish comedy as three men search for land for the sect to settle on. Are we meant to observe these people without judgment, or to laugh at practices that feel absurd through a modern lens? The film seems undecided. It frequently wishes to dazzle but more often leaves a sour aftertaste. As the runtime wears on, the rituals and hymns stop feeling immersive and instead become punishing, grinding the film’s momentum to a halt.
Ultimately, “The Testament of Ann Lee” is an arthouse movie squarely aimed at the arthouse audience. Even then, I suspect some viewers will walk away more baffled than moved. This is a difficult film to watch and an even more difficult one with which to engage. It asks a great deal of its audience without offering much guidance in return. After a grueling 137 minutes and witnessing multiple walkouts, this is not something I’d recommend to the average viewer. As for going in blind, it only works when a film is willing to meet you halfway. “The Testament of Ann Lee” does not.
In Theaters Friday, January 23rd
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