The True Story Behind 'The Testament of Ann Lee'

Mona Fastvold, who directed the invigorating The Testament of Ann Lee , describes the film as a “speculative retelling” of the life of its title subject, the founder of the Shaker movement . Though the Shakers today are largely known for their furniture, and particularly the trademark design of keeping chairs on the wall when not in use, the film—which began its fall festival run in Venice, continuing in Toronto—charts the religious sect’s fascinating origins, with Amanda Seyfried’s Ann Lee at the center of it all.

The film, co-written by Fastvold and her partner Brady Corbet around the time of their Oscar-winning previous collaboration, The Brutalist , is a musical. This may seem like an odd fit, but the Shakers differentiated themselves with their erratic movements (like sha