Write a commentFaith is a tricky thing.
I was raised Catholic. I received my First Communion, Penance and was Confirmed. I also used to be an altar boy, quitting once the priest had to start looking up at me due to a sophomore year of high school growth spurt. I've always had issues with believing without asking any questions. I've been a thorn in a lot of sides over my life for simply asking the wrong question at the wrong time.
I remember very vividly walking in the line for Communion one evening at Saturday mass. My father was in front of me. The idea is to stand in church and stay reverently silent unless responding to the priest. You're especially supposed to keep your mouth shut when you're walking to get Communion. But, something hit me.
Unfortunately for me and a lot of the people in my life, I have a tendency to talk too much because, when I'm silent, I start asking questions. While in line this particular night, the question that came to me was one I needed an answer to immediately.
I tapped my father on the shoulder. He turned, raising his eyebrows. This nonverbal cue was used for a variety of responses from my father. Entirely without context, it means nothing. A simple eyebrow raise didn't mean anything to me at that moment.
"What's with the eyebrow," I whispered.
"What are you tappin' me for," he asked, raising his eyebrows as if telling me "When I raise my eyebrows, I'm asking why you're tapping me."
"I had a question."
"Wait until after."
"I'll forget."
My father shook his head. "What?"
"We're not supposed to lie, right?"
My father let out a deep sigh. "That's the question you're askin' me? No, Adam. We're not supposed to lie."
"Under any circumstances?"
"Under any circumstances."
I thought about this for a moment. "Well, like...okay. What about actors?"
"What do you mean 'what about actors?'"
"Like when Bruce Willis says his name is John McClane. Isn't that a lie?"
My father thought about this, shaking his head. It was as though every conversational avenue he was trying to pursue was getting blocked by logic, resulting in the inevitable traffic jam. "No, it's not a lie. That's acting!"
My father's voice raised well above whispering volume, drawing the attention of my mother, sister as well as the other churchgoers we were passing.
My mother turned, furious. "Adam, stop asking your father questions. Donny, keep it down."
My father gesticulated wildly. "Oh, so now it's my fault Adam is askin' questions?"
My mother said, "Sounds like you're the one asking questions now, Don."
He didn't know what to do. Finally, he uttered, "No one else talk to me until we're in the car."
Another question sprang to mind. I couldn't stop myself. "Don't you still have to talk to the priest to get the host?"
Another deep sigh.
As church concluded and we loaded into our van, the air was heavy. My father adjusted the rearview mirror to make eye contact with me.
"What were you asking me?"
"If Bruce Willis..."
"Oh, right. Well, every time he lies, if he's a churchgoing guy, he has to go to confession about it. Just...you know what? You just have to take my word for it."
My father turned the car on as we pulled away from the curb. My mother turned around, sighing. "You just have to have faith. Faith that God knows what He's doing," she said. "He knows everything and He's never wrong."
I thought about this for another moment. "If He knows everything, why do we have to go to confession? If He knows we did something wrong, why do we have to confess it?"
"That's faith, Adam," my father said.
I appreciate people that have faith. It's always been fascinating to me to give yourself over to something without having hard evidence. But, that's kinda the point, isn't it? Short of getting into a full-blown theological debate, The Testament of Ann Lee deals with a lot of these themes. Prior to hearing about this film, I knew exactly nothing about Ann Lee. The film covers her whole life. Considering this, one might qualify it as a biopic and be done with it. While it is, it goes about disseminating the information in a, shall we say, non-traditional fashion.
The film has fully realized musical/dance sequences. And not just a few, either. I would estimate nearly 30-40 percent of the runtime is devoted to these scenes. They're all incredibly shot and performed, but they're incongruous to the rest of the film. Granted, I guess I could be considered a traditionalist when it comes to film. I get that from my dad. Nothing fancy. If you're going to tell me it's a biopic, it better darn well just be that and that's it. Notoriously, my father disliked West Side Story because "people ain't gonna twirl before they stab you in the ribs".
The musical sequences run perpendicular to the rest of the film. They don't really get to the heart of the story. Amanda Seyfried is a hugely talented actress, as I previously mentioned in my review of The Housemaid. She commands the screen. Her performance is a revelation and she's able to deftly volley between the serious dramatic scenes and the musical sequences. But, it begs the question: Are the musical sequences necessary?
I don't believe they are.
In my opinion, and it is just an opinion, the amount of time devoted to the musical scenes don't offer anything in the way of depth into any of the characters. Many of the songs are repetitive, but aurally pleasing as well as decently shot. After the fourth or fifth one of them, I just wanted to know more about the main character or any of the characters. Everything is effectively done, but I would have much rather had more time with Ann Lee and cut some of the musical performances.
It's hard, though. Would I recommend this to people? Kinda, I guess. It's not a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it's hard for me to believe that other people would have the patience. Just when there's some forward movement with the plot, there's another music scene. Imagine hearing a story from a friend of yours and every ten or so minutes, they broke out into song. After a while, you just want to hear the rest of the story without all the tributaries.
Also, maybe that's not the point. Maybe the literal text of the film is less important than how it makes you feel. Maybe the hard evidence doesn't matter.
Did I just convince myself into liking this movie more?
No.
Am I going to keep asking questions?
You can have faith that I always will.
The Testament of Ann Lee (2025)
Directed by Mona Fastvold
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Lewis Pullman, Thomasin McKenzie, Christopher Abbott
Runtime: 137 minutes
MPAA Rating: R (for sexual content, graphic nudity, violence and bloody images)
Rating (out of ****): ***
The Testament of Ann Lee is streaming on Hulu with a subscription and available on all major streaming platforms to rent or buy.
