Filmmakers Mona Fastvold and Brady Corbett are clearly attracted to the ambition. They, too, are attracted to dreamers – hard dreamers, talented but demanding people who have plans they must accomplish, no matter the personal cost.
They’re also interested in the dreamers who cross the ocean to America with these tough, lofty plans. And, ultimately, they find unique actors to play these roles.
You could say this couple, artistic and life partners, are on a roll. They teamed up last year to make “The Brutalist,” directed by Corbett and co-written with Fastvold, which won Adrien Brody an Oscar. And now, with Fastworld directing, we have “Ann Lee’s Testament” – a provocative and, yes, tough film that stars a luminous Amanda Seyfried as the Shaker leader. This is a performance that will spoil your 18th century experience.
Of course, there are major differences. For one thing, unlike the fictional architect Lazlo Toth in “The Brutalist,” Ann Lee was a real person – a woman whose life story has not been widely told and who was a deeply spiritual person: a woman who saw visions of God from childhood, considered the urges of the flesh sinful, and was revered by followers who called her Mother and saw her as the female incarnation of Jesus Christ.
Oh, yes, one more thing: “The Testament of Ann Lee” is a musical. An 18th-century religious musical – capturing both the pain and joy of Lee’s life in song-and-dance numbers based on a dozen or more traditional hymns.
Yes, that’s a lot. That’s a lot. This film is definitely not for everyone.
But Fastworld has undeniably created something we’ve never seen before; Speaking of viewpoint, his singular artistic vision permeates every frame. And Seyfried is wonderful, in yet another role that showcases this extremely talented actor in ways we might not have imagined.
Fastpaced, shot on 70 mm film, “The Brutalist” and co-authored by Corbett divides Lee’s life into chapters. The first details his upbringing as a poor, illiterate child in Manchester, England. We’re told it’s no coincidence that a “miracle” woman will be born on February 29th. The year is 1736. Ann, the daughter of a blacksmith, had heavenly visions in her childhood.
As a young woman, Ann works as a nurse to escape the mill where her family works. Yearning for spiritual purpose, she attends a religious meeting and meets a female preacher who is completely new to her. The early Shakers – known as the “Shaking Quakers of Manchester” – engaged in an intense form of confession; The term “shaker” refers to their enthusiastic gestures in worship, as if shaking out sin.
It’s hard to imagine what the film would be like without Seyfried’s strong presence. She can be both spiritual and worldly, and when she breaks into song and dance, choreographed by Celia Rolson-Hall to the music of Daniel Blumberg, it feels organic and unexpected.
Ann marries a locksmith, by whom she gives birth to four children. All die by the age of 1 year. It’s almost painful to watch, especially when her husband has to snatch the last child from her grieving arms.
Devastated, she throws herself into worship. While in prison for her heretical beliefs, she fasts, has visions and believes that she and her husband have been punished by God for having sex. She would henceforth practice and preach celibacy.
The second chapter involves Ann leading a harrowing journey across the Atlantic to establish a base in the New World. Worshipers almost never escape the journey.
But they somehow reached New York City two years before the American Revolution. The final act details years of efforts to find a home where the Shaker community could safely live and grow – hardly a given.
Eventually the community settles in a suburban area, where they learn to make furniture for revenue. Anne’s brother William set out to find followers. The community has strict rules: celibacy, no marriage, gender equality, pursuit of utopian perfection.
But their beliefs put them in danger. In a chilling final scene a violent mob of townspeople sets fire to a house where the group is recruiting members.
At its peak, there were thousands of Shakers. Now there are exactly three. It’s not unreasonable to ask: Why put so much energy, attention, and craftsmanship into telling this particular story?
Well, one answer is pretty simple: They had Seyfried. The actor spent a year before shooting just working on his 18th century Manchester accent. She sings, she dances. And she gives one of the most moving renditions of childbirth and child loss you’ll see on screen.
No matter how you feel about the history here, this is a fantastic exhibit that needs to be seen.
The Searchlight Pictures release “The Testament of Ann Lee” is rated “R” for sexual content, graphic nudity, violence and bloody images by the Motion Picture Association. Running time: 137 minutes. Three out of four stars.
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