A quietly stunning film arrives on digital platforms
Mona Fastvold’s The Testament of Ann Lee — a lyrical, music-forward historical drama starring Amanda Seyfried — becomes available on digital platforms (Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home) on March 10. Shot as an intimate, atmospheric portrait of the Shaker leader Ann Lee, the film has been praised for its visuals, choreography and Seyfried’s central performance, even as it was notably left out of this year’s Academy Awards nominations.
What the film is about
The Testament of Ann Lee chronicles the life of Ann Lee, the charismatic founder of the Shaker movement in late 18th-century America. The Shakers sought to build a literal “Heaven on Earth” inside their communal settlements and expressed worship through song and dance. Their strict commitment to celibacy, however, limited the movement’s long-term growth. Fastvold’s film explores Lee’s spiritual conviction, personal losses and the emergence of her leadership within that fraught, utopian experiment.
Runtime: 137 minutes
Theatrical release: December 25, 2025
Director: Mona Fastvold
Writers: Mona Fastvold, Brady Corbet
Amanda Seyfried at the center: a career-defining turn
Seyfried plays Ann Lee with a rare combination of vulnerability, charisma and musicality. The film leans on song and movement to convey inner life, and Seyfried’s voice and presence carry much of the emotional weight. Her performance traverses grief, fervor and moral certainty in ways that many critics and viewers have called among her strongest work to date — a performance that anchors the film’s tender but rigorous portrait of faith.
Co-stars include Lewis Pullman (William Lee) and Chris Abbott, who also participate in the film’s musical sequences, adding texture to the communal, ritualistic scenes.
Music, choreography and cinematic design as storytelling tools
Music is not merely accompaniment here; it is the film’s language. Fastvold found the project after discovering a Shaker hymn, and that discovery guided the film’s structure: songs and movement are used to dramatize Ann Lee’s internal life, her losses as a mother, and the formation of a communal identity. The result is a series of musical moments that range from quietly mournful to ravishingly ecstatic — emotionally resonant, if less pop-oriented than other musicals in Seyfried’s catalogue.
The digital release includes a behind-the-scenes feature, The Testament of Ann Lee: A Special Look, which explores:
- The film’s research and historical grounding
- Set and costume design choices that evoke Shaker aesthetics
- Cinematography and choreography that fuse visual and physical storytelling
- The score and how musical arrangements were integrated with performance
Inspiration and creative intent
Fastvold co-wrote the screenplay with her partner, Academy Award winner Brady Corbet. The director has described Ann Lee as a “wild feminist religious leader in late 1700s America” and said the project sprang from an artist’s impulse to illuminate a figure she felt had been overlooked by history. “For me, being an artist is always about striving to create the impossible — that’s what drew me to Ann Lee,” Fastvold has said. “This film is offered as a tribute to her dream — and the silence that now surrounds it.”
Why the film feels underrated
Despite strong visual design, ambitious choreography and a central lead performance that many viewers call career-best, The Testament of Ann Lee did not receive recognition from the Academy this season. That omission has only intensified conversations about the film among cinephiles who value its craft and originality. Its focus on a complex female spiritual leader, told through song and communal ritual, makes it a distinct entry in recent historical dramas.
Where to watch
The Testament of Ann Lee will be available to buy or rent digitally beginning March 10 on:
- Amazon Prime Video
- Apple TV
- Fandango at Home
The digital release includes the aforementioned behind-the-scenes feature, offering a deeper look at how the film’s evocative world was created.
Key credits
- Director: Mona Fastvold
- Writers: Mona Fastvold, Brady Corbet
- Producers (selected): Viktória Petrányi, Lillian LaSalle, Sinan Eczacıbaşı, Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska, Joshua Horsfield, Andrew Morrison, Mark Lampert, Brady Corbet, Gregory Jankilevitsch, Mona Fastvold
- Cast: Amanda Seyfried (Ann Lee), Lewis Pullman (William Lee), Chris Abbott
For viewers drawn to music-driven storytelling, historical portraits of unconventional women, or Amanda Seyfried’s increasingly daring work, The Testament of Ann Lee’s March 10 digital release is a must-watch opportunity to discover a quietly ambitious film that blends hymn-like music, ritualized movement and intimate performance.