Time: 137 Minutes
Age Rating: M – Violence, sex scenes & nudity
Cast:
Amanda Seyfried as Ann Lee
Lewis Pullman as William Lee
Thomasin McKenzie as Mary Partington
Stacy Martin as Jane Wardley
Christopher Abbott as Abraham Standerin
Tim Blake Nelson as Pastor Reuben Wright
Director: Mona Fastvold

The Testament of Ann Lee was one of the 2025 movies I most wanted to catch up on the most. I saw that it was getting awards attention especially for Amanda Seyfried for Lead Actress, and I was really glad that I saw it.

I wasn’t familiar with Ann Lee or the Shakers beforehand, and I found this film to be a fascinating watch. It’s a compelling and captivating story of religious faith, devotion, suffering and spiritual mania that I was entranced by, and it was well paced across its 2 hour and 10 minute runtime. While it is a historical drama, it takes a bit of a mystical approach; with the use of chapter title cards and narration from Thomasin McKenzie, it’s like a story being passed down and told through generations. I thought that form of storytelling really fitted this movie. As for issues, it does feel like it skimps on some details and jumps ahead a lot in the second half, especially in contrast to earlier sections which were more steady in its pacing. It also did seem a little rushed towards the end, almost feeling like they weren’t quite sure how to conclude this story.

The cast are stellar, everyone sells their parts. Amanda Seyfried delivers a career best performance as Ann Lee, it’s a difficult role to play but she really nails it, presenting such incredible screen presence and vulnerability. The rest of the cast including Lewis Pullman, Thomasin McKenzie, and Christopher Abbott were also really great too.

The direction from Mona Fastvold was incredible and beautiful. The cinematography and visuals are amazing, and everything felt immersive with the production design, costumes, hair and makeup. I was really surprised by the amount of music in the movie, in fact music is very important to the movie. There are plenty of incredible musical sequences, with some amazing choreography and expressive body movements, along with a euphoric and great score from Daniel Blumberg.

The Testament of Ann Lee is a captivating, hypnotic, and fantastically directed historical musical drama, with gorgeous visuals and amazing performances, especially from an incredible Amanda Seyfried.