The Testament of Ann Lee

The Testament of Ann Lee is an intrepid work of speculative fiction about the religious leader of the Shakers, a Christian sect founded in mid-eighteenth-century England, which fizzled out shortly after relocating to pre-revolutionary America. The movement started as an offshoot of Quakerism, but it was distinguished by followers who trembled in religious ecstasy. The so-called Shaking Quakers became Shakers (and later a mouthful, the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing), a belief system all but forgotten and unpracticed today—except by its two current members, according to the film. As Christian sects go, the utopian Shaker belief system has some intriguing values. They champion gender equality, pacifism, and harmonious living with the environment; however, they also demand celibacy from their members. Amanda Seyfried stars as Ann, whom the authorities in New England at the time accused of witchcraft and treason—in part because the Shakers believed her to be the second coming of Christ (and it was heretical to think a woman could fill such a role), and in part because she refused to support the violence of the Revolutionary War. 

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