Like clockwork, the Oscar nominations left out a few deserving nominees. Admittedly, Sinners deserves all 16 of its record-breaking nods, but some of that love could have been spread around.
Despite a late push by Searchlight Pictures, The Testament of Ann Lee wasn’t half as fortunate as Sinners.
This historical epic musical didn’t land a single Oscar nomination in any category, although it scored an impressive 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
As far as Watch With Us is concerned, The Testament of Ann Lee is the one movie that the Oscars snubbed that you need to watch now.
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Amanda Seyfried’s Performance Is Stunning
I have to admit, I forgot that Amanda Seyfried can sing. She’s shown off that ability in film before, but this movie fully utilizes Seyfried’s talent, even more so than her turn in Les Misérables. The Testament of Ann Lee is a biopic about Ann Lee, the founder of the Shakers religious movement that embraced female leadership and rejected carnal relationships between men and women as sinful. The real Shakers also used music in worship, but probably not exactly as portrayed in this film.
This should have been Seyfried’s moment to shine, both for her riveting performance as Lee and for the multiple songs she sings in the film. She embodies every emotion that Lee experiences and the movie doesn’t treat her religious experience as a farce. Lee really practices what she preaches, and Seyfried magnificently breathed life into this role.
It’s the Best Musical of 2025
Sorry, Wicked: For Good fans, The Testament of Ann Lee was just a better musical. Both films were snubbed by this year’s Academy Awards, which is genuinely puzzling. The Testament of Ann Lee came out on Christmas, which may have been too late to make an impact. But the Wicked sequel’s exclusion was also surprising.
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Regardless, this film incorporated its music into the storytelling in a way that was both impressive and stunning. Some of these songs are real showstoppers, like “All is Summer” in the clip above. But they don’t feel like they exist outside of the movie’s narrative. Instead, they push the characters forward, and the staging by director Mona Fastvold and her team is immaculate. If there isn’t a Broadway adaptation of this film in a few years, then I’m going to be shocked.
The Supporting Cast Is Terrific
Seyfried may have the best performance in the movie, but she doesn’t carry it all by herself. Lewis Pullman was a standout for his turn as Ann’s brother, William Lee, and his character had his own cross to bear. I’m not going to spoil why their final scene together is so moving, but the bond of love between the siblings felt real. They stayed together no matter what happened.
Christopher Abbott was very memorable as Ann’s husband, Abraham Standerin, who has the dubious distinction of turning her off from sex forever. What’s interesting about his character is that Abraham never sees that he did anything wrong in his relationship with Anne. And that’s largely why things play out the way they do. Thomasin McKenzie, Tim Blake Nelson and Scott Handy were also good in their supporting roles.
Since Disney owns Searchlight, The Testament of Ann Lee seems destined to hit Hulu and Disney+ within the next month or so. Hopefully, it will find its audience when that happens, because this is a great movie that deserves to be discovered rather than buried as a failure.
The Testament of Ann Lee is playing in theaters.
