Everything gets ordinary, eventually.
Weekly Directed By Women Viewing Guide
In this week’s guide I am recommending the new historical musical drama by Mona Fastvold, my favorite film by Jane Campion, the evocative shorts of Mary Stephen, my favorite stop motion short by Niki Lindroth von Bahr, underseen films by Susan Seidelman and Patricia Rozema, and an a 3-channel video installation by artists Larissa Sansour and Youmna Chlala.
Directed by Mona Fastvold, who co-wrote the script with Brady Corbet, The Testament of Ann Lee is a frenetic fable about the life of religious leader Ann Lee (a magnificent Amanda Seyfried). Set in the 18th century, the film follows the life of Anne from her childhood in Manchester, England, her discovery of the early Shaker movement, her marriage to a fellow congregant named Abraham (Christopher Abbott) which resulted in four children who all died in their infancy, an imprisonment that led towards her belief that she is the female embodiment of Christ, and her eventual immigration to the New World with her brother William (Lewis Pullman), and her followers as they attempt to build a settlement rooted in gender equality, communal living and ecstatic devotion. Like their previous film The Brutalist, this film explores fanaticism, extreme commitment and sacrifice for a dream, and the rot at the heart of modern America. The film’s songs by Daniel Blumberg are catchy, but they are not bops. Instead, they are crafted to evoke the swirling energy of devotional hymns and elegies. For IndieWire, I spoke to choreographer Celia Rowlson-Hall about bringing the Shakers’ divine movements to life. The film is still playing in select theaters this week and will open wider over the next few weeks including in 70mm here at the Music Box Theater in Chicago on January 16th.
