The Testament of Ann Lee

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The Testament of Ann Lee

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2h 17m

Biography

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Drama

Musical

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88%

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166 Reviews

83%

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100+ Verified Ratings

From award-winning writer-director Mona Fastvold (The World to Come, The Brutalist) comes the extraordinary true legend of Ann Lee, founder of the devotional sect known as the Shakers. Academy Award nominee Amanda Seyfried stars as the Shaker's irrepressible leader, who preached gender and social equality and was revered by her followers. The Testament of Ann Lee captures the ecstasy and agony of her quest to build a utopia, featuring more than a dozen traditional Shaker hymns reimagined as rapturous movements with choreography by Celia Rowlson-Hall (Vox Lux) and original songs & score by Academy Award winner Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist).

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Critics Consensus

Illuminated by Amanda Seyfried's sterling performance, The Testament of Ann Lee accepts The Shakers' founder on her own terms and reaches its own rhapsodic highs as a result.

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Audience Says

The Testament of Ann Lee is an inspired offering, made unforgettable by Seyfried’s undeniably powerful performance, though its deliberate pace may only captivate a niche audience.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

5d

4/4

The Testament of Ann Lee all but replicates what it is like to be in the throes of a passionate religious movement, and does it with a command and feminist fervor that is as undeniable as the mastery of the central, all-in performance from Seyfried.

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Maxwell Rabb

Chicago Reader

6d

Amanda Seyfried shines as Ann Lee, delivering a potent performance, her eyes lit with commanding devotion.

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Bill Goodykoontz

Arizona Republic

Jan 22

4/5

It runs up against some rough patches during the telling of the story, but overall it is immensely enjoyable, an unflinching (and nonjudgmental) look at faith, no matter how bizarrely we may think it’s practiced.

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Sean P. Means

The Movie Cricket

14h

3.5/4

Fastvold and composer Daniel Blumberg draw from Shaker hymns to create a series of songs that produce the droning, rhythmic sensation you’d expect from cloistered monks. It’s jarring at first, but as the movie goes, these songs convey a hypnotic grace.

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Blake Howard

One Heat Minute

2d

3.5/4

You may not share the faith on screen. But for two hours, you’ll feel its pulse — and that’s something rare, bracing, and unforgettable.

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

2d

Like their previous film The Brutalist, this film explores fanaticism, extreme commitment and sacrifice for a dream, and the rot at the heart of modern America.

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derek

1d

score and cinematography are good just a tad too long.. kinda dull in the middle

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Edwin P

4d

The musical aspect was interesting. The dialogue, however, was mostly hard to follow. Sometimes a movie really requires subtitles. Lessons for today? An epilogue would have been helpful as well.

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Matthew M

4d

It was a hypnotizing epic. Beautifully shot, lovely music, an engaging story, impressive performances. It's not one I'll run to buy when released, but the scale and grandeur should definitely be appreciated on the big screen.

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Mike C

4d

More than I expected!

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Brent

4d

There is So much to learn from this film! And man did Anne Lee have almost all things right. But the trauma of her life and this director. Lay out everything so beautifully! How Amanda isn’t up for an OSCAR for this performance makes me feel ill! That this director didn’t get nominated either. To dance and sing is there anything that connects us to Religion. How this film is shot it has NEVER been done better! I don’t agree with all her points. But this film shows you how close they truly were to finding true Christianity.

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Carolyn

5d

It was artistic and interesting and an amazing performance in my opinion.

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Mona Fastvold

Director

Amanda Seyfried

Actor

Thomasin McKenzie

Actor

Lewis Pullman

Actor

Stacy Martin

Actor

Matthew Beard

Actor

The Testament of Ann Lee: Music Clip - Hunger and Thirst

2:51

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Awards Leaderboard: Best Movies of 2025

The Testament of Ann Lee: Exclusive Featurette - World Building

3:54

Learning From an 18th Century Feminist Icon

1:22

The Testament of Ann Lee: Trailer 1

1:48

The Testament of Ann Lee: Featurette - Mother Mona

4:10

The Testament of Ann Lee: Featurette - Shooting on Film

1:29

The Testament of Ann Lee: Featurette - Music and Movement

3:11

The Testament of Ann Lee: Teaser Trailer

1:22

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Synopsis

From award-winning writer-director Mona Fastvold (The World to Come, The Brutalist) comes the extraordinary true legend of Ann Lee, founder of the devotional sect known as the Shakers. Academy Award nominee Amanda Seyfried stars as the Shaker's irrepressible leader, who preached gender and social equality and was revered by her followers. The Testament of Ann Lee captures the ecstasy and agony of her quest to build a utopia, featuring more than a dozen traditional Shaker hymns reimagined as rapturous movements with choreography by Celia Rowlson-Hall (Vox Lux) and original songs & score by Academy Award winner Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist).

Director: Mona Fastvold
Producer: Andrew Morrison, Joshua Horsfield, Viktória Petrányi, Mona Fastvold, Brady Corbet, Gregory Jankilevitsch, Klaudia Śmieja, Lillian LaSalle, Mark Lampert
Screenwriter: Mona Fastvold, Brady Corbet
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Production Co: Kaplan Morrison, ArtClass Flms, Proton Cinema, Intake Films, Curious Gremlin, Göta Film AB, Göteborg, Annapurna Pictures, Mizzel Media, Film i Väst, FirstGen Content, Mid March Media, 4 Little Monsters, Carte Blanche
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Graphic Nudity|Bloody Images|Violence)
Genre: Biography, History, Drama, Musical
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 2025, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.5M
Runtime: 2h 17m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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