Before you completely shift your movie-watching focus to 2026 releases, make sure you slot in The Testament of Ann Lee, which is, for my money, one of 2025’s best, most underrated films. From the team behind The Brutalist — Mona Fastvold, who co-wrote The Brutalist, directs this from a script she co-authored with Brutalist director Brady Corbet — comes another historical epic, this time based on a true story. Amanda Seyfried does career-best work as Ann Lee, who founded the Shakers religious sect in the 18th century. The film spans Mother Ann’s entire life as she discovers religion, faces immense personal tragedy and grows more devout as a result, to the point where she is seen as a female Messiah with a tight-knit group of devoted followers that includes her brother William (an excellent Lewis Pullman) and her closest friend Mary (Thomasin McKenzie). The Testament of Ann Lee is unique in that it’s also a musical crafted with new arrangements of traditional Shaker hymns and expressive choreography that exemplifies exactly why the Shakers got their name (for their erratic, rhythmic style of worship).
Photo: Everett Collection