"That might sound vaguely experimental and abstract, but the film is the opposite of aloof - it seeks to stir us, to immerse us in the sensibility of its distant era. Handsomely produced and shot on 70-mm., the Venice competition title lovingly re-creates its 18th-century milieu in attitude; it throws us into this world and mind-set. And the bizarre song and dance numbers, for all their anachronism, pull us in further."
"Ann Lee's impoverished childhood in Manchester is spent dreaming of service to God while feeling revulsion at the physical facts of life. Having spied her parents having sex one night, she confronts her father the next day: "I know what you do to her," she says, hatred and shame in her eyes. Even from a young age, Ann seeks transcendence, and Fastvold conveys both the dark crowded muck of poverty and the young girl's airy dreams of light and love."
An 18th-century-set musical reimagines the founding of the Shaker faith with hybrid dance and reworked spirituals, blending traditional and modern movement. The production is shot on 70-mm with rich period recreation that immerses viewers in poverty, mud, and flesh. The protagonist grows up in Manchester longing for transcendence while recoiling from physicality; an early confrontation with her father shapes her shame. Amanda Seyfried portrays the adult Ann with anxious curiosity, conveying hunger and fear as history's sparse records leave emotional gaps. The film balances artifice and earthiness through visceral imagery and anachronistic musical sequences.
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