Ann Lee Movie Review

As entertainment, I definitely enjoyed 2025’s The Testament of Ann Lee. As a historian, the term “anachronism” came to mind far too often. For many people, this presumably will become their idea of how the Shakers came about. For those who know more about the Shakers, the movie best serves as a launching pad for several discussions.

Let’s start by acknowledging a truth: the version of Ann Lee’s life we have was primarily recorded by Shakers decades after her death to serve their own purposes. It’s a religious myth as much as biography.

It’s also impossible to use it “as is” to make a popular movie in 2025. We expect more psychological depth in our characters, for a start. And the religious climate of Ann Lee’s day is far removed from the experience or knowledge of most Americans these days. The Anglican state Church of England’s intolerant attitude to dissent and the millennial fever that often gripped Americans of that era are unfamiliar to most of our fellow Americans.

Related to that is another issue: how to portray a religious leader who was a visionary and prophetess. Treat her with too much reverence, and she won’t appear to be a real human being. Try to psychologize her too much, and she becomes a crazy human with delusions. The usual view of Ann Lee tends more towards reverence. I’m sure she defecated on frequent occasions, but that’s not part of her image. Nor, to be fair, is it part of this movie. But some other earthy elements are, which some viewers will find disturbing.

Amanda Seyfried’s portrayal of Ann Lee tries to run the middle road: she’s earthy, more so than many would like to see, but she also has visions that come true. Credit to Seyfried for doing a good job trying to pull this off. I bet it works better for those who know little about the Shakers than those who know more, if only because the latter will have their own pre-existing ideas on the subject.

One might argue that her portrayal of Ann Lee is a bit anachronistic, too 21st century. Which is probably true, but less so than one might imagine. It’s more the movie’s attempt to make Ann Lee a human figure that will disturb many people, which in some cases they will mistake for anachronism. That said, it is a movie made for a 21st century audience.

Where one can’t ignore anachronisms is the movie’s portrayal of the development of the Shaker faith. Everything is introduced too soon. Ann’s spouting phrases in Manchester that become part of later Shaker tradition. They’re making chairs and constructing a 19th century Shaker village in Niskayuna in 1780. The Shaker music, while often authentic, is of necessity taken from later years. And so on. Don’t cringe when you see what’s painted on the wall of the meetinghouse. If you know this stuff, it can be annoying. To the casual viewer, call it the quick and dirty guide to 19th century Shaker life.

Speaking of the music, this movie is a musical. Now, not even the Shakers spontaneously burst into synchronized singing at every opportunity. But they’re known for their music, the film makers wanted to use that music for historical, emotional, and narrative effect, and so there it is. It does help support the film’s structure. I’m not usually one for musicals, but this is twice in less than half a year I’ve been to movies that made it work. (The other was Sinners. Kind of a weird pairing, a film about rampaging vampires in the Deep South with a life of Ann Lee.)

There are a few other things wrong. There are definitely a few historical mistakes. Everybody is cleaner, healthier, and more attractive than real life, a general problem with movies. Though poor Ann Lee takes a beating and looks worse for the wear quite often. Another reason Seyfried has earned plaudits for her acting in this movie.

Yet, for all of that, I enjoyed the movie. I think it best to look on it as an attempt to recast Ann Lee as a myth for our times, just as the received history was a myth for its time. And, if you’re serious about understanding the Shakers and their history, it’s worth considering at length why the myth still resonates, as well as why it was so changed for this movie.

By Brian Bixby, Shaker student and long time BASSG member