The Testament of Ann Lee true story: How accurate is the historical musical?

by

Before the release of Mona Fastvold’s film, The Testament of Ann Lee, most people likely only knew the Shakers for their unique buildings and furniture. The historical drama, which premiered in the US in late 2025, is now being released in UK cinemas.

While finishing her 2020 film, The World to Come, director Mona Fastvold stumbled upon a Shaker hymn, sparking her fascination with the Shakers and their leader, Ann Lee. This discovery led her to delve into a surprisingly progressive and little-known chapter of American history.

The project faced an uphill battle, as Fastvold initially found it difficult to get studios interested. The industry was hesitant to support such a bold and ambitious undertaking.

The result is a truly remarkable film, powerfully driven by Amanda Seyfried’s captivating performance as Ann Lee. However, it’s a collaborative achievement overall, enhanced by Daniel Blumberg’s impressive reimagining of Shaker hymns and Celia Rowlson-Hall’s energetic choreography. This creates a strikingly impactful cinematic experience, especially given the film’s relatively small $10 million budget.

The film, as described by director Charlotte Fastvold, offers a reimagined look at the life of Ann Lee, the founder of the Shaker movement. It follows her journey from her childhood in Manchester, England, through her developing spiritual beliefs – including her emphasis on expressing faith through music and dance – and her commitment to peaceful resistance against opposition to her forward-thinking ideas. Fastvold explained to the BBC that she was captivated by the fact that this woman with such revolutionary concepts played a role in American history.

If you’re curious about how accurately the movie portrays the life of Mother Ann, continue reading to find out.

The Testament of Ann Lee true story

Ann Lee was born on February 29, 1736, in Manchester, England. She was one of eight children – five boys and three girls – born to John, a blacksmith. Information about her mother is scarce, and she is portrayed by Maria Sand in the play, The Testament of Ann Lee.

Ann’s parents were Quakers, part of the Religious Society of Friends. Records show she was baptised on June 1st, 1742, at what is now Manchester Cathedral.

I recently learned about Ann, and her story really struck me. She didn’t have much opportunity for schooling and, sadly, never learned to read or write. She started working incredibly young, first in a textile factory, and then, when she was around twenty, she became a cook at a hospital in Manchester. It’s a tough life, and it makes you think about how different things could have been with just a little more support.

In 1758, Ann became part of a small religious group led by Jane and James Wardley. This group, nicknamed the ‘Shaking Quakers’ because of their lively worship style – which involved singing, shaking, dancing, and trembling – believed these physical expressions helped them to shed sins and negativity. As Seyfried explains, “These people needed to physically express themselves through movement and song during worship, because it was essential to their well-being.”

The Shakers had the unusual belief that Jesus would return as a woman, and they championed equality between men and women – a truly progressive concept for the 1700s. Filmmaker Fastvold views Ann Lee, the Shakers’ leader, as one of the first feminists, noting that many other pioneering women likely remain unacknowledged.

In 1762, Ann married Abraham Standerin, a blacksmith employed by her father. It seems her parents encouraged the marriage, and Ann wasn’t enthusiastic about it. Over the next four years, she had four children, but sadly, none of them lived past infancy.

Director Charlotte Fastvold has discussed how her character, Ann, coped with losing her children. She explained to Creative Screenwriting that Ann shifted her maternal instincts outward, deciding that if she couldn’t mother her own children, she would mother everyone. This led to Ann’s desire to build a safe community where people could freely express themselves, worship, and dedicate themselves to creative work.

Essentially, it’s about exploring how motherhood shapes leadership and how someone can overcome past trauma to embrace that role.

Following the death of her last child, Ann became deeply involved in the Shaker community, and her influence eventually led to conflicts with other religious groups.

In 1770, Ann spent 30 days in jail, where she had a powerful vision of Adam, Eve, and the Garden of Eden. This led her to believe that sexual relations were the source of all problems. When she shared this with her followers, they adopted celibacy as a core belief. From then on, they called her Mother Ann, believing she was the female representation of Christ’s return.

After a few years, Ann decided she needed to bring the Shaker beliefs to America. Soon after, she and a group of followers – including her brother William and cousin Nancy – traveled by ship, the Mariah, from Liverpool to New York to start their new life.

The group reached America on August 6, 1774. Shortly after, Ann split from her husband, Abraham, because he wouldn’t follow the Shakers’ practice of remaining celibate. He later remarried.

In 1779, the Shakers moved to Niskayuna and established a community where they built homes, farmed, and created art. They quickly began attracting new followers to their religious group.

During the American Revolution, Ann Lee and her followers, known as the Shakers, remained neutral and refused to support either side in the conflict. Their refusal to pledge allegiance raised concerns with authorities, and Ann was briefly imprisoned, wrongly suspected of supporting the British. She was eventually released after her brother, William Lee, successfully requested help from General James Clinton, who wrote to the governor of New York on her behalf.

The group moved on to New England, spreading their message and gaining followers, but they increasingly encountered hostility for their beliefs, including several violent attacks. Ann, in particular, was often accused of witchcraft. One incident in Petersham, Massachusetts, turned into a riot where Ann was pulled to the ground, beaten, and her clothing was torn.

The hardships and fatigue likely contributed to the deaths of both Ann and her brother, with William passing away on July 21, 1784.

After her brother passed away, Ann Lee reportedly became quite sad. She spent her last days rocking and singing in a language no one understood.

On 8 September 1784, 10 years after arriving in America, Mother Ann Lee died at the age of 48.

According to reports, her last words were, “I see Brother William arriving in a golden chariot to bring me home.”

Regarding the attacks, Fastvold told Entertainment Weekly that after the victim died, they discovered she had skull fractures caused by repeated beatings.

It was deeply upsetting to learn about the terrible things she and the other Shakers went through, but detailing everything would have overshadowed the larger story I wanted to tell. I felt the story had more to offer than just focusing on the brutality.

Following a memorial service, Ann was buried in a wooden coffin at the Shaker Cemetery, part of the Watervliet Shaker Historic District in Colonie, New York. She passed away before the Shaker movement reached its height in the early 1800s, a time when thousands of followers lived throughout the United States.

As of August 2025, only three members of the Shaker community still live together at Sabbathday Lake in Maine.

Want to see this content?

We need your permission to load content on this page, as it requires Google reCAPTCHA to function properly.

The Testament of Ann Lee is now available to watch in UK cinemas.

Authors

Chezelle BinghamSub-Editor

Chezelle Bingham is a Sub-Editor at TopMob. Before that, she was a Writer for Disney, creating content for six magazines aimed at preschool and primary school children. She also has a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Language.

Read More

2026-02-27 12:39