Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- feverish
- meditative
- rapturous
- arthouse film night
- historical drama night
What critics said
Critics broadly admire the film's ravishing formal ambition, Amanda Seyfried's electrifying performance, and its daring fusion of historical biography with song and dance, while some find its long runtime and elusive drama languid.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ann Lee's religious rise and the Shakers' worship are expressed through recurring songs and choreographed movement.
Lee is proclaimed the female Christ while her followers practice energetic worship and strict celibacy.
The production design, costumes, cinematography, and choreographed worship create a ravishingly staged 18th-century atmosphere.
Ann Lee leads a religious movement and is treated by followers as a messianic figure despite repression and opposition.
Films like The Testament of Ann Lee, and why
The Young Girls of Rochefort
ambitious historical musical drama centered on charismatic religious conviction and female leadership
Dancer in the Dark
stylized period musical blending theatrical performance, spirituality, and emotional intensity
A Dangerous Method
female-led historical drama about radical belief, repression, and visionary social change
Movie Details
- Director
- Mona Fastvold
- Release Date
- 2025-12-25
- Runtime
- 137 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (186)
Cast
- Amanda Seyfried
- Lewis Pullman
- Thomasin McKenzie
- Matthew Beard
- Christopher Abbott
- Viola Prettejohn
- David Cale
- Stacy Martin
- Scott Handy
- Jeremy Wheeler
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Testament of Ann Lee about?
- A feverish historical musical follows Ann Lee as charismatic faith, bodily worship, and strict communal ideals transform her into the Shaker movement’s messianic leader.
- What is The Testament of Ann Lee like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Testament of Ann Lee as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Testament of Ann Lee violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Testament of Ann Lee as mild.
- What did critics think of The Testament of Ann Lee?
- Critics broadly admire the film's ravishing formal ambition, Amanda Seyfried's electrifying performance, and its daring fusion of historical biography with song and dance, while some find its long runtime and elusive drama languid.
- Which films are like The Testament of Ann Lee?
- Films with a similar feel include The Young Girls of Rochefort, Dancer in the Dark, and A Dangerous Method.
- How long is The Testament of Ann Lee?
- The Testament of Ann Lee runs 137 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Testament of Ann Lee?
- In United States, The Testament of Ann Lee streams on Hulu.
