There has been much buzz this fall leading up to the release of the latest film starring Amanda Seyfried and her possible awards worthy performance. The Testament of Ann Lee follows the rise of the founder of the religious sect the “Shaking Quakers,” or Shakers, Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried) who preaches gender and social equality and abstinence as part of her new offshoot faith.
Though it chronicles the development of the offshoot religious sect of the “Shakers,” The Testament of Ann Lee is truly that, a documentation of the life of its titular character and larger examination of how people cope with trauma. For Ann, her life had been marked with tragedy, death, and peculiarities surrounding sex. As a little girl, Ann witnessed her parents’ sexual relationship, namely her father’s insistence for it and her mother simply going along with it, as a result of sharing a one room cabin with her family. As a young married woman, she experienced the loss of four children all before they reached the age of one while juggling her own husband’s hypersexuality. It’s no wonder that the religious sect she would go on to found linked chastity with godliness. Ann dealt with her trauma and its linkage to sex by attempting to shield herself from it and cleanse her would through abstinence. It’s a sad tale shared through the documentation of Shakerism’s rise and height as an offshoot of Christianity.
As the film’s lead, Seyfried’s performance as Ann is pivotal in The Testament executing what it seeks out to do and she excels in the role. Seyfried is fully believable as a wholly focused woman of faith determined to do what she thinks is right no matter the obstacle; a true believer dedicated to her cause. The subtle changes as Ann transitions from young girl to wife and mother to visionary leader are captured by Seyfried’s acting and she carries both the film and the script in her portrayal. Unfortunately, there isn’t much going on in the film besides bearing witness to her offering one of her career best performances.
The Testament of Ann Lee has a point as described above, it just scratches the surface in doing anything interesting with it outside of documenting the main character’s life. It’s a methodical biopic with elements of character study mixed in, but not much else. In keeping with the traditions of the Shakers, the film features more musical numbers than you may be expecting going into the theater, but nothing of note or laudable technical prowess. Amanda Seyfried is interesting to watch act, but is unable to elevate the film past serviceability on her own.
Image: Searchlight Pictures
