"The Testament Of Ann Lee"

The Next Best Picture Podcast

Tv & Film

4.2 • 542 Ratings

🗓️ 24 January 2026

⏱️ 111 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For this week's main podcast review, Megan Lachinski, Josh Parham, and Dan Bayer join me to discuss the latest film from Mona Fasvold, "The Testament Of Ann Lee," starring Amanda Seyfried, Thomasin McKenzie, Lewis Pullman, Stacy Martin, Tim Blake Nelson & Christopher Abbott. Co-written with her partner in work and in life, Brady Corbet, and following up the monumental success of last year's "The Brutalist," the duo is back with another $10 million indie film, this time about the founding leader of the Shakers religious sect in the 18th century that, unfortunately, never quite caught on after its world premiere at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival, resulting in zero Oscar nominations. This recording was done before that announcement, and there's plenty to discuss besides the film's awards season run, including Amanda Seyfried's career-best performance, the jaw-dropping cinematography, production, and costume design, the ungodly score and songs by Daniel Blumberg (inspired by real-life Shaker hymns), Fastvold's singular direction, and more! Please tune in as we discuss these elements, the writing, and yes, our Oscar hopes for it before the Lord God tooketh away, in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy! Praise be! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw And be sure to help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month at https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You are listening to the Next Best Picture podcast and this is our review of the Testament of Anne Lies.
0:06.0	For those new here who are unaccustomed to a woman preacher.
0:10.0	Come nearer to me. Christ's spirit first appeared as a man, but has reappeared to fulfill the promise of the second coming.
0:34.6	As a woman, our mother Anne.
0:40.3	I have seen a tozen people waiting for some America.
0:47.3	We will plant a great big tree with deep and solid roots.
0:51.3	All right, everybody, you were just listening to the trailer for The Testament of Anne Lee,
0:55.7	and the story is as follows.
0:58.1	Reverered by her followers, Anne Lee preaches gender and social equality as the founder
1:03.6	of the devotional sect, The Shakers.
1:06.5	The film is starring.
1:09.0	Amanda Seyfried, Thomas and McKenzie, Lewis Pullman, Stacey Martin, Tim Blake Nelson, and Christopher Abbott.
1:16.8	It is written and directed by Moda Fastfold and co-written by Brady Corbe.
1:20.9	Here to join me today for this spoiler-filled podcast review.
1:25.3	I have Megaloshenky.
1:28.5	Hey, everybody.
1:30.0	Josh Parham.
1:31.3	Hello, hello.
1:32.5	And Dan Bear.
1:34.4	I hunger and thirst.
1:37.6	So the Testament of Anne Lee had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival,
1:42.9	which is typically where Brady and
	...

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