.png){kind=logo}
Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series spotlighting the scripts behind the awards season’s most talked-about movies continues with The Testament of Ann Lee from Searchlight Pictures. Directed by Mona Fastvold, who co-wrote the script with Brady Corbet, her husband and filmmaker behind last year’s Oscar-nominated The Brutalist, Ann Lee won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival.
The Testament of Ann Lee, is an epic musical retelling of the life of the 18th century Shaker founder starring Amanda Seyfried as the religious leader. The film explores the radical origins of the devotional sect known for its ecstatic worship and egalitarian beliefs.
The pic had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and soon after was acquired by Searchlight. It was nominated for Best Feature at the Gotham Awards, while Seyfried scored Best Actress noms from the Gothams, Golden Globes and the Critics Choice awards. It hit theaters December 25.
The film’s narrative is structured into three distinct acts that track the major transitions of Lee’s life, beginning with her impoverished upbringing in pre-industrial Manchester, England. In this first chapter, the story depicts the personal tragedy of Lee losing her four children at a young age, a trauma that serves as the catalyst for her spiritual transformation. She begins preaching that holiness can only be attained through celibacy and the renunciation of traditional marriage, views that eventually lead to her being declared a heathen and confined to a mental asylum. While imprisoned, Lee experiences visions that lead her to believe she is the female reincarnation of Christ and God’s representative on Earth.
The film’s second act follows Lee and a small group of devoted followers — including her husband Abraham, brother William and the loyal Sister Mary — on a transatlantic journey to the New World in 1774. This transition from the claustrophobic reality of Manchester to the open air of the Atlantic sets the stage for the final chapter: the building of a utopian community in America. Settling in Albany County, New York, the Shakers establish the colony of Niskayuna, a society governed by rigid guidelines of celibacy, social equality and a pursuit of perfection through labor. The film culminates in 1784 with Lee’s death at age 48, following a violent attack on the community by neighbors threatened by their radical lifestyle.
Central to the film is the theme of radical feminism, with Fastvold portraying Lee as a wild feminist leader who was overlooked by history despite her early advocacy for gender and social equality. By offering a way out of the restrictive Church of England, Lee’s movement provided a sanctuary for those who did not fit into mainstream society. This quest for utopia is depicted as a yearning for communal grace and justice, which Fastvold likens to the creative impulse found in all artistic endeavors.
The film further explores the theme of spiritual ecstasy through movement and song, functioning as a full-on musical where worship is expressed through shaking, trembling and exuberant acts of devotion. These movements were not merely physical but also were intended as embodied expressions of faith and shared experience. Additionally, the rigidity and rules of Shaker life served as a form of redemption and safety for individuals like Lee who had endured profound grief. This connection between labor, craftsmanship and spirituality is woven throughout the film, reflecting the Shaker philosophy that shaping the world through work was itself a form of transcendence.
Read the screenplay below.
More from this Story Arc
English (US) ·