It’s not every day you see a 70mm musical about a religious sect that believed in celibacy and ecstatic dancing, but here we are. The Testament of Ann Lee has basically taken the festival circuit by storm, and honestly, the buzz is mostly because the casting is just so spot on. If you’ve seen the trailer or caught the early screenings at Venice or TIFF, you know this isn't some dry, dusty historical biopic. It’s vibrant, kinda weird, and deeply emotional.
Mona Fastvold, the director who gave us The World to Come, teamed up with Brady Corbet to write this. They’ve managed to pull together a group of actors who don't just "play" historical figures—they feel like they’re vibrating on a different frequency.
Amanda Seyfried as the Mother of the Shakers
At the heart of everything is Amanda Seyfried. She plays Ann Lee, the woman who would eventually be known as "Mother Ann."
If you remember her in Les Misérables or Mamma Mia!, you know she can sing. But this is different. In The Testament of Ann Lee, she has to carry these reimagined Shaker hymns that feel more like spiritual outpourings than Broadway showstoppers. Fastvold has talked about how she chose Seyfried because she has this "mad" energy—in a good way. She’s got those huge, expressive eyes that make you believe she’s actually seeing visions of the divine.
The film follows her entire life, so we see her go from a struggling worker in 18th-century Manchester to a revolutionary leader in America. It’s a massive arc. She’s won an Astra Film Award for it already, and the Oscar talk is very real.
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The Supporting Players: Family and Faith
While Seyfried is the sun everything orbits around, the rest of the cast of the testament of ann lee is what gives the world its texture.
- Lewis Pullman plays William Lee, Ann's brother. He’s basically her rock. While Ann is the visionary, William is the one dealing with the practicalities of moving a whole group of believers across the Atlantic. Pullman has this grounded, steady presence that balances out the more "ecstatic" parts of the movie.
- Thomasin McKenzie takes on the role of Mary Partington. She’s also the narrator, so we’re seeing a lot of the story through her perspective. McKenzie is great at playing that sort of wide-eyed observer who eventually becomes a true believer.
- Christopher Abbott plays Abraham Standerin, Ann’s husband. It’s a tough role because Abraham represents the life Ann is trying to leave behind—the traditional family structure, the pain of losing children, and the societal expectations of the time.
Why the Ensemble Works So Well
The chemistry here isn't about romance; it's about shared conviction. You've got Stacy Martin and Scott Handy as Jane and James Wardley, the couple who initially lead the "Shaking Quakers" in England before Ann takes the reins. Their performances help establish why this movement started in the first place—it was born out of a desperate need for something more than the cold, industrial reality of Manchester.
Then there’s Tim Blake Nelson as Pastor Reuben Wright. He’s always fantastic, but here he plays a figure of authority that represents the pushback the Shakers faced. It’s not a cartoonish villainy; it’s more of a deep-seated fear of anything that challenges the status quo.
Musical and Choreographic Soul
You can't talk about the cast without mentioning the people who shaped how they move and sound. Daniel Blumberg composed the score and original songs, which are just haunting.
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The choreography by Celia Rowlson-Hall is almost a character in itself. The cast had to learn these ritualistic, repetitive movements that eventually break out into "rapturous" dance. It’s supposed to look like they’re literally shaking the sin out of their bodies. When you see the full ensemble—including actors like Matthew Beard (as James Whittaker) and Viola Prettejohn (as Nancy Lee)—performing these sequences, it’s pretty hypnotic.
Fact-Checking the History
One thing that makes the cast of the testament of ann lee so compelling is how much they lean into the real, often brutal history. The film doesn't shy away from the fact that Ann Lee's path was born out of immense trauma, specifically the loss of all four of her children in infancy.
Abraham Standerin was a real person, a blacksmith, and their marriage really did fall apart as Ann moved toward her celibate, spiritual calling. The movie captures that friction perfectly. It’s not just "shakers were neat," it’s about the cost of building a utopia.
What to Watch For
If you’re planning on seeing it when it hits wide release on January 23, 2026, keep an eye on these specific details:
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- The Birthing Montage: There’s a four-day sequence that Fastvold has highlighted as the most challenging to film. It’s visceral and sets the stage for Ann's spiritual transformation.
- 70mm Visuals: If you can see it on a big screen, do it. The natural lighting (which some critics found a bit dark in night scenes) looks incredible on film.
- The Hymns: Listen for "Clothed by the Sun." It’s the standout track and really showcases Seyfried’s vocal range in a non-traditional way.
The movie clocks in at about 130 minutes, which is a lot of time to spend in the 1700s, but the pacing holds up because the ensemble keeps the stakes feeling personal. It’s a story about human beings trying to find God in a world that felt like it was ending.
Practical Next Steps for Viewers
If you're interested in the world the cast of the testament of ann lee created, you should definitely check out the original Shaker music that inspired Daniel Blumberg's score. The "ecstatic" style of worship depicted in the film is based on actual historical accounts from the late 1700s.
For those who want to see more of Mona Fastvold's work before heading to the theater, The World to Come (2020) is a great precursor. It handles similar themes of isolation and radical connection in a historical setting, also featuring a very strong, central female performance.
The film is currently rolling out in select theaters before its full theatrical release. Check your local listings for "The Testament of Ann Lee" to see if it's playing in 70mm near you, as that’s the intended format for the best experience of the cinematography and sound design.