In 18th-century Manchester, spiritual leader Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried) founds new religious movement the Shakers, before travelling to America to spread the word.
A musical biopic of the woman who led a tiny branch of Christianity in the 1700s may sound like a pretty niche prospect — but with The Testament Of Ann Lee, director and co-writer Mona Fastvold (The World To Come) is employing every tool in her movie-making arsenal to shine a light on this little-known corner of history.
The film depicts the origin of the Christian sect known as the Shakers, so named because of how they worshipped through ecstatic song and dance. They were led by Ann Lee (played in utterly…