DFS: Music and the Movies • The Testament of Ann Lee
Amanda Seyfried ('Mamma Mia') dazzles in this soaring, musical depiction of the early days of the Shaker movement in colonial America.
Amanda Seyfried ('Mamma Mia') dazzles in this soaring, musical depiction of the early days of the Shaker movement in colonial America.
As a founder of the Shaker movement, Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried) was one of the most important religious figures in pre-Revolutionary America. With her powerful third feature, Mona Fastvold (co-writer of The Brutalist) digs deep into Lee's story, especially the profound childhood and early adult traumas that impacted her psychology and shaped her influential religious views.
Lee's tragic loss of all her children in infancy or early childhood, along with her radically unique interpretation of scripture, transformed her into a fierce advocate for a more equitable and utopian society. Her beliefs become a policy adopted by her devoted followers, whose frenzied, ecstatic worship—as Fastvold depicts it—almost serves as a communal substitute for sexual activity. The feverish ceremonies are inventively captured in musical numbers and original songs by Academy Award winner Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist), sung by Seyfried and the cast.
Giving an intense performance, Seyfried leads a stellar cast, with impressive work by Thomasin Mackenzie, Christopher Abbott (Poor Things) and veteran Tim Blake Nelson. Aided by the stunning cinematography of William Rexer '86 and an astounding score and soundscape, Fastvold offers a fascinating look at a compelling and complex figure.
Programmed as part of the Dartmouth Film Society series "Music and the Movies"
