New Thing #11: The Testament of Ann Lee

The Testament of Ann Lee is an interesting take on a musical but, despite being well made, it just wasn’t for me. I tried writing a Recommended Expectation for this and I quit because I just feel like people are going to have very different reactions to this film For me, it was a numb experience. The music and dancing occasionally elevate things but for most part the score, story, and Thomasin McKenzie’s narration (I’d think Zen or meditation apps would look to hire her after this) just had me in an oddly serene place. Even during one of Ann’s darkest moments, we’re told what happens and then we’re shown it happening while a slow, repetitive musical number is performed by Ann (played my Amanda Seyfriend.) On top of that, there’s nothing really new to this story besides it being a female who is the religious leader. The story hits all of the usual points that these films of faith hit and Ann herself is devout that there seems to be no real internal conflict.

Ultimately, this is a faith movie told from the POV of the most faithful follower so it ultimately just isn’t in my wheelhouse. The second half especially, which feels less about Ann Lee and is more just anecdotes about what happened when they moved to America, falls flat and, in the end, had me wondering whether this was really a story that needed to be retold.