Screen Grabs: Ann Lee won't take any of your crap - 48 hills

"As I write, the news remains dominated by a woman who almost certainly died at the hands of supposed law enforcement simply because she refused to be awed or intimidated by a wee man hiding behind a mask and a gun. Well, he showed her, didn't he. Showed her... the lethal extent of male fragility that this administration is encouraging to work itself into a perpetual froth?"

"Several movies opening this week happen to sport such heroines-not all of them entirely sympathetic, some even a little scary, but each of them impressively non-fuck-giving in their own way. The biggest release among them is The Testament of Ann Lee from Mona Fastvold, who co-wrote creative partner Brady Corbet's prior directorial features (including The Brutalist), and on her own directed 2020's The World To Come, an adaptation of a Jim Shepard story that flew under most people's radar-it certainly did mine."

"But after giving birth to four children who all died in infancy, she had a spiritual awakening-and/or, perhaps, a nervous breakdown-that led her to splinter from the Quakers she'd previously been aligned with. Her new beliefs encompassed states of religious ecstasy involving group dance and song. She also insisted that any sexual activity, even between husband and wife, was inherently sinful, and that her followers should practice absolute celibacy."

News remains dominated by a woman who almost certainly died at the hands of supposed law enforcement after refusing to be awed or intimidated by a masked man with a gun, underscoring lethal male fragility and prompting calls for accountability. The moment intensifies appetite for female role models who refuse to take anyone's crap. Several new films feature such heroines—sometimes unsympathetic or frightening, but defiantly noncompliant. The biggest release is The Testament of Ann Lee from Mona Fastvold, whose energetic sophomore feature demands a strong reaction. The film follows Ann Lee, an 18th-century Englishwoman who experiences a spiritual awakening, splits from the Quakers, preaches ecstatic group worship and strict celibacy.

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