The Testament of Ann Lee (2026)

Synopsis

The historical musical drama The Testament of Ann Lee is set to make its global streaming debut on Hulu (and Hulu on Disney+) . The film, which had a limited theatrical run earlier this year, is directed by Mona Fastvold (The World to Come) and has already garnered significant critical acclaim, including several Golden Globe nominations.

Set in the mid-18th century, the film chronicles the extraordinary life of Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried), a working-class woman from Manchester, England, who rises to become the “Mother” and founder of the Shakers (the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing). The narrative is presented as a musical testament, told in three distinct chapters through the eyes of one of her early followers, Mary Partington (Thomasin McKenzie).

The story begins in the industrial grit of Manchester, where Ann and her brother William (Lewis Pullman) toil in a cotton factory. Following a series of personal tragedies and a tumultuous marriage to Abraham (Christopher Abbott), Ann begins receiving frantic, ecstatic visions from God. These revelations lead her to preach a radical doctrine of gender equality, communal living, and total celibacy.

Screenplay: Mona Fastvold and Brady Corbet
Music & Score: Daniel Blumberg
Choreography: Celia Rowlson-Hall

As her following grows, so does the persecution from the church and state. The final chapter follows the group’s perilous journey across the Atlantic to New York, where they attempt to build a utopian society. The film is defined by its “shaking” rituals—feverish, rhythmic movements and hymns that the followers believe allow them to commune directly with the divine. It is a story of “ecstasy and agony,” exploring how one woman’s staggering faith challenged the social and religious foundations of two continents.

Director Mona Fastvold collaborated with the team behind The Brutalist to create a period film that feels like a “time machine.” Unlike traditional Hollywood musicals, the songs in The Testament of Ann Lee are reimagined Shaker hymns, performed with a raw, animalistic energy rather than polished stage choreography.

The production utilized 70mm film for select sequences to capture the “monumentality” of the religious experience, specifically the “shaking” rituals which often involved dozens of actors dancing in unison until reaching a state of physical exhaustion.

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