In the mid-1700s,Ann Leehelped start a religious movement preaching absolutely no sex.
Nearly three centuries later, the Shaker founder could become an unlikely icon for Gen Z, who are bringing celibacy back instaggeringly high numbers, according toa slew of recent studies.
"You'll get a lot of stuff done if you're not focusing so much on being desired," says director Mona Fastvold, whose "The Testament of Ann Lee" is now in theaters nationwide. "Maybe that's what they're searching for."
Amanda Seyfriedstars in the unorthodox movie musical, which traces Lee and her followers as they emigrate from England to North America in hopes of building a pure and harmonious society. Here's what's fact and fiction in the new film:
Amanda Seyfried found church 'boring.'Now she's playing the female Christ.
Is 'The Testament of Ann Lee' movie based on a true story?
Yes. After losing all four of her children in infancy, Lee had a mental breakdown and was admitted to an asylum. While there, she went on a hunger strike and claimed to have visions of Adam and Eve being kicked out of the Garden of Eden for disobeying God.
Upon release, Lee began telling people that she was a prophet and that the only way to have a holy life was by abstaining from fornication. She soon started to gain supporters, which ballooned to more than 6,000 followers at its peak, Fastvold says.
The Shakers, a sect of Christianity named for their ecstatic worship dancing, were nonviolent and refused to fight in the Revolutionary War upon settling in Upstate New York. They also practiced communal living, and eschewed traditional gender roles when it came to manual labor and homemaking.
"She fought for equality at a time when that didn't really exist for women and people of color," Fastvold says. While many religious figures throughout history have been fueled by ego, "Ann was only driven by this urge to create a safe community for people who wanted to live their lives in a different way."
As depicted in the movie, Lee was arrested multiple times for blasphemy and disturbing the peace. She was also viciously attacked by mobs, who objected to her pacifist beliefs and worship rituals, which they likened to witchcraft.
Fastvold, who co-wrote the script with partner Brady Corbet ("The Brutalist"), visiteda former Shaker communeas part of her research. She pored through their archives, and based much of the film on court transcripts, newspaper articles and written testimony from Lee's followers.
But there are some parts of the movie that she calls "speculative history," including the suggestion that Lee chose to become celibate as a result of losing her kids. Similarly, the film doesn't pass judgment on the cult-like behavior of the Shakers, who revered Lee andcalled her "Mother."
"It was obviously a flawed utopian experiment, but we were less interested in deconstructing the myth," Corbet says. "Is it a lot of it far-fetched? Sure. But what they did achieve was Herculean."
How authentic is the music on the 'The Testament of Ann Lee' soundtrack?
Anyone who's seen "Ann Lee" knows that the songs arecomplete earworms.
"You just don't get tired of them," choreographer Celia Rowlson-Hall says with a laugh. "Who knew that Shaker hymns were going to be such bangers?"
Most all of the music in the film is adapted fromactual Shaker hymns, many of which can be found in theirmore traditional forms on YouTube. Oscar-winning composer Daniel Blumberg was tasked with layering in claps, stomps and screams.
At the time, the Shakers' music was "scary to other people. That's why they tried to shut them down," Blumberg says.
Rowlson-Hall, meanwhile, studied old drawings of Shaker rituals. Because they prayed through dance, she wanted the movements to be simple enough that a blacksmith or millworker could do them. At the same time, the choreography was meant to feel "primal" and "raw," as the Shakers slap their chests and reach upward to get closer to God.
"There's documentation of how they would do these dance raves all night, and in the morning, police would come arrest them," Rowlson-Hall says. "I was like, 'OK, what does the body look like after dancing and praying and singing for 12 hours?' "
Are the Shakers still around today?
Lee died in 1784 at age 48. Although her exact cause of death is unknown,many historiansattribute it to the physical toll of both mob violence and her missionary travels. After her death, James Meacham took over as the movement's leader, and with time, the Shakers began building and sellingtheir now-famous furnitureas a means of supporting their communities.
Although Shakers can marry, they're not allowed to have intercourse or give birth, meaning that they need to continually recruit new followers. According toa NPR reportin August 2025, there are three Shakers left in the world, all of whom are living in Maine.
Out of respect for their religion, Fastvold opted not to visit or reach out to them while making the movie.
"I have a million questions for them and I'd be so curious to learn more about their relationship with Ann Lee's story," Fastvold says. "But to my understanding, they live in celibacy and communal living, and they still have the same values. There's still a lot of singing and dancing, but it's just a lot more organized now."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'Testament of Ann Lee' fact check – Are the Shakers still around?
