The Testament of Ann Lee

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

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Ann Lee (1736- 1784) singlehandedly started a spiritual movement called the Shakers. The Shakers were known for their ecstatic dancing and their strict religious code.

Ann Lee was illiterate. Despite this, she preached to the public known for her divine ecstatic visions. At one pivotal time in her life, Lee was reportedly questioned by several clergy and spoke for four hours in 72 different dialects as if possessed with varied vocal tones and shades. Lee believed that she was a direct vehicle for Jesus Christ and a physical representation of The Second Coming. Lee birthed four babies who sadly perished. She came to believe that the sexual act is a primary Sin and she ultimately gave herself to God.

According to Lee, God was neither male nor female but a blend of both genders.

Mona Fastvold (“Sleepwalkers”) conjures Ann Lee vividly to life in “The Testament of Ann Lee.” The film, which uniquely employs music to great effect, is compelling and mysterious.

Lee (Amanda Seyfried) is a British loner from Manchester. She becomes a cook at an infirmary. Lee joins the Quaker group and spontaneously begins to shout and quiver almost in epilepsy, mutating into a kind of dance. Lee marries fellow believer Abraham (Christopher Abbott) who has an interest in sadistic sex. Abraham physically abuses Lee.

Lee conducts dances and the town becomes annoyed. She has a vision of Adam and Eve and leaves Abraham in waking life.

Under the leadership of Ann, the Shakers, who are persecuted by the leadership of England, come to upstate New York in America. The Shakers start a commune, conducting meetings and making prim and austere chairs, diligently with precision.

The dancing sequences are nothing short of performance art, illustrating animal and angelic incarnations witho whirling dervishes and esoteric locomotion, be they of Deliverance, Ecstasy or a somatic language from heaven or hell. The gestures point to form and function, “Everything in its place, a place for everything” is a frequent Lee chant. Once Abraham used Lee as furniture. Later she takes control and creates on God’s terms, to His specifications.

Like Joan of Arc or Teresa of Ávila, Ann Lee was an uncompromising divine spirit, a soldier of God Herself.

While at times the dancing expressions are repetitive, the film delivers its own singular vision much like its ferocious, fiery Amazon subject.

Write Ian at ianfree11@yahoo.com