Based on the trailer, I went into this film expecting a biographical thriller — something that would frame Ann Lee as an experimental woman ahead of her time who embraced ideas we might now recognize as modern feminism and was persecuted by society for those beliefs. Instead, the film is about a pious, devout woman … who was still persecuted by society for expressing her spirituality in a different way.
Lee was a radical for the 1700s — a woman who believed herself to be the second coming of Christ and who brought the Shaker movement to the United States. That alone was enough to provoke outrage among the townsfolk. But she is less a symbol of modern liberation and more a figure of intense conviction, self-affirmed by religious visions or hallucinations.
What makes the film especially striking is its form. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before — part musical, part historical profile. The dance sequences and music, drawn from real Shaker hymns, are both hauntingly beautiful and deeply eerie, what one might envision as “witchcraft.”
And yet, their intent is the opposite: the Shakers danced in praise and devotion as part of their understanding of God. That tension between how it looks and what it means to these people living centuries ago makes the film unique and powerful.
At its core, this is an intriguing story about a woman leader shaped by past tragedies that affected her religious outlook. She inspired others to follow her — so much so that they crossed the Atlantic to establish a new religious community in America.
The dance sequences also reminded me of “The OA,” a mind-bending series that blends mysticism, intuition and interpretive movement as a form of communication and transcendence.
In The OA, characters perform a series of choreographed movements believed to open portals to other dimensions, effect change and prevent tragedy. That same sense of using movement to pray, worship, and impact society is similar in this film.
Great performance by Amanda Seyfried, who showcases her skills as an actor and singer.
