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Though The Testament of Ann Lee is technically a musical, writer/director Mona Fastvold didn’t look to past examples of the medium for inspiration. Rather than a figurative wink at the camera or the use of proverbial “jazz hands,” Fastvold and her team opted for something rooted in reality and deep spirituality for the religious drama.
“I love a wonderful, beautiful musical number, but I had to resist the urge to shoot it that way even. I had to shoot it in this way that was a lot more intimate, where the camera is integrated into the movement, and it’s part of it all,” Fastvold recently told BroadwayWorld.
The new film tells the true story of Mother Anne Lee, a founding member of the Shaker Movement during the 18th century. Amanda Seyfried stars as the religious leader whose rigorous faith and worship are made manifest through song and dance.
The majority of the soundtrack consists of historic Shaker hymns, which have been reimagined into ecstatic movements by composer Daniel Blumberg, with choreography from Celia Rowlson-Hall. The final sound mix is a combination of studio recordings and live singing from Seyfried and the cast, but with a key difference from most musical recordings: each sound is included, creating an immersive world.
“Every breath that Amanda [Seyfried] takes is in the film, in the songs. That’s something you usually scrub out. And the diegetic sound, the sound of the world, never disappears. It’s always there, from the sound of touching your arm to the stomping, the hitting, the slaps… all of those are such a big part of the music as well,” Fastvold explained. “Every moment of music and movement in the film is an expression of faith. So it always is motivated by that. It’s always internalized. It’s not performative at all.”
The result? A singular convergence of sound, rhythm, and movement, all coming together to shine a respectful light on the true history of this religious group. “I just think that it’s much more subversive to keep an open mind about them than to judge them or to idolize them… Usually, films about religion or religious leaders do one or the other.”
Fastvold hopes that viewers will take note of the values that Ann Lee and the Shakers demonstrate in the film: equality, kindness, and empathy, all of which she recognized during her extensive research. “I wanted the audience to have that similar experience that I had… One of curiosity and interest in continuing a conversation about what she meant and what she could potentially mean now.” Watch the full interview with the writer and director now.
In addition to Seyfried, The Testament of Ann Lee stars Thomasin McKenzie, Lewis Pullman, Christopher Abbott, Tim Blake Nelson, Stacy Martin, Matthew Beard, Scott Handy, Viola Prettejohn, David Cale, and Jamie Bogyo. The movie is now playing in theaters nationwide.
