The Testament of Ann Lee debuts at Venice with mixed reviews

Mona Fastvold's The Testament of Ann Lee, a sweeping musical biopic starring Amanda Seyfried as the 18th century Shaker founder, premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival on Monday, delivering an ambitious, often divisive imagining of a little known chapter in American religious history. Shot on a reported 10 million budget and presented in expansive 70mm prints, the film traces Ann Lee's journey from industrial Manchester to the New World as she forges a celibate, egalitarian sect through ecstatic song and dance.

Fastvold co-wrote the screenplay with her partner Brady Corbet, who also served as a producer and second unit director. At a press conference ahead of the Sala Grande premiere, Corbet acknowledged the commercial challenges of the project, saying that "the elevator pitch for a Shaker musical was not the easiest thing to get off the ground." Producer Andrew Morrison said the priority was securing Fastvold "complete creative freedom" to realize a large-scale vision despite the modest budget.

The production emphasized hands-on filmmaking. The movie was shot on 35mm film then blown up to 70mm for maximalist effect, and filmmakers staged sequences aboard a fully...