One of the things about watching movies is that you do get to learn quite a bit about lives you had no idea about. Take The Testament of Ann Lee, the new film from the husband and wife team behind The Brutalist. They have taken the story of a woman who founded a religious group and spread the word to those still seeking a connection. This could have been a straightforward historical biopic about a woman whom I had never heard of before. Instead, director Mona Fastvold has made something slightly out-of-the-ordinary. This is predominantly a musical, if not in the traditional sense, with a brave central performance that shines through the moments of the strange.

Ann Lee, a young woman from Manchester, is disillusioned by the stranglehold that the Christians and Catholics have over religion in Britain. She finds herself in a group known as The Shakers, a part of the Quakers. Becoming much more involved with the group, and having lost four children, she starts having visions that she believes have made her the second coming of Christ. Deciding to take the message over to America, she sets up a new community, but this is as tough as the Lord faced the first time.

Fastvold and co-writer Brady Corbet have taken the story’s basis, which would have been fascinating on its own, and given the film a shake-up, just as the religious group throws itself into its beliefs. Capturing the period with perfect costuming, setting, and matte designs (where the scenery is painted rather than created by CGI), the film has the feel and a great sense of the time. Yet instead of just telling the tale through dramatic incidents, the inclusion of song and dance takes it to another level.

The Shaker Movement regularly took to worshipping by singing and performing jerky, sometimes quite violent movements in what can only be described as a fully-clothed orgy. As part of the religious beliefs, sex and the sexual act were frowned upon, and celibacy played the most important part, so watching the dances, as the congregation almost punches themselves in the chest, while performing folk-like songs, seems like a replacement for physical contact.

Ann Lee was a woman who became obsessed with the idea that she was the female Messiah. Having lived a life full of tragedy, including being thrown in prison for her beliefs, where she has the visions that made her become a leader of the group, she takes her brother and her followers across the water that could have led to her death, but the singing and dancing are looked upon firstly as a nuisance and then as a saviour.

The choreography is exceptional, with the performers all in time with routines that are both hypnotic and bewildering. When I said this is not a traditional musical, it doesn’t have the jazz hands, but songs that come without warning and don’t connect with the action, and are neither religious. They wouldn’t feel out of place in, say, The Wicker Man. Along with the incredibly complex dance sequences, this may throw people looking for the new Wicked.

The cast throw themselves into their roles with energy and vigour. Lewis Pullman, as Ann’s brother, William, and Thomasin McKenzie, as close ally and narrator, Mary, are terrific, but they step back to allow Amanda Seyfried, as Ann, to take centre stage, and she is magnificent. This is an incredibly brave performance that leaves her naked. She has managed to perfect the Manchurian accent with aplomb, she sings like a nightingale, and she gives us a character full of depth and levels. It should have been recognised by the nominations, but sadly, this film has fallen foul of movies overshadowing it, like Hamnet and One Battle After Another. This is definitely as far removed from Seyfried’s previous musical outings in the Mamma Mia movies.

The Testament of Ann Lee is a visually stunning piece of cinema and has introduced me to a woman on a mission. If you are looking for a happy-go-lucky musical experience, look elsewhere; otherwise, you will see a rewarding tale of a most unusual religious group, led by an incredibly strong woman.

4 out of 5

Director: Mona Fastvold

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Lewis Pullman, Thomasin McKenzie, Mathew Beard, Christopher Abbott, Viola Prettejohn, David Cole, Stacy Martin, Scott Handy, Tim Blake Nelson

Written by: Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold

Running Time: 137 mins

Cert: 15

Release date: 27th February 2026