Shadows on the Wall | The Testament of Ann Lee

The Testament of Ann Lee

dir Mona Fastvold
scr Mona Fastvold, Brady Corbet
prd Andrew Morrison, Joshua Horsfield, Viktoria Petranyi, Mona Fastvold, Brady Corbet, Gregory Jankilevitsch
with Amanda Seyfried, Lewis Pullman, Thomasin McKenzie, Christopher Abbott, Matthew Beard, Viola Prettejohn, Tim Blake Nelson, David Cale, Stacy Martin, Scott Handy, Jeremy Wheeler, Millie-Rose Crossley
release US 25.Dec.25,
UK 20.Feb.25
25/UK Searchlight 2h17

VENICE FILM FEST
TORONTO FILM FEST

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To recount the life of the founder of the Shakers, filmmaker Mona Fastvold boldly embraces period-style music and apocryphal anecdotes, crafting a heady epic that is eerily mesmerising and often engulfing. Finely crafted with an ambitious attention to design, performance and especially sound, this is a staggeringly full-on film that dives deeply into the mythology of a Christian sect that is now remembered largely for its technology and furniture.

Born in 1736 Manchester, Ann (Seyfried) is convinced by visions that she's the female second coming of Jesus. With the Wardleys (Martin and Handy), she establishes a Quaker sect known for its shaking, ecstatic dancing. Promoting racial and gender equality, she believes that sex of any kind is abhorrent, which alienates her from her husband Abraham (Abbott) as they migrate to America in 1774 to escape persecution. There she creates an idyllic community with her brother William (Pullman) and niece Mary (McKenzie). But they continue to face opposition from people who don't understand their beliefs.

Shot in grainy 35mm by William Rexer with painterly effects, the film's aesthetic mixes natural beauty and precise details with often overwhelmingly grubby honesty. Daniel Blumberg's textured score impressively weaves together with Shaker hymns, making the film a haunting musical. Scenes flow into each other to create waves of emotion that are expressed as religious mania. These people are absolutely sure that their theology is the only way to heal a troubled world. Which of course gives the film a startling present-day kick.

Seyfried throws herself into the role as a woman convinced that she is God's messenger. Because she so internalises this idea, Seyfried never tips into caricature, even in scenes that require jaw-dropping physicality. This also creates unusually nuanced chemistry with the superb Pullman, McKenzie, Abbott and others, each of whom also put full emotionality on-screen. These people feel everything passionately, and the most faithful never waver. But it's the layered connections between them that catch our attention.

Watching Ann lead followers in these vibrating, swirling dances is fascinating, as are historical details knowingly dropped into the script, imagery and audio mix. While the Shakers were never a major religious movement (their peak number of followers was around 6,000), their profound effect on culture lingers today. They were also far ahead of their time on issues like pacifism, women's rights and slavery. So even if the film feels a little overwrought and overlong, it leaves us with a lot to think about.

themes, language, violence, sexuality 19.Nov.25

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