Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 212 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "Illuminated by Amanda Seyfried's sterling performance, The Testament of Ann Lee accepts The Shakers' founder on her own terms and reaches its own rhapsodic highs as a result." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
In his five-star review for The Irish Times, Donald Clarke described the film as "the stuff of masterpieces" and praised Fastvold for "creating a convincing version of Lancashire torn between industrial modernity and apocalyptic mysticism," adding that in the titular role, "Seyfried is electrifying." Meanwhile, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rated the film three out of five stars, calling it "a genuinely strange film, elusive in both tone and meaning, one which deploys the obvious effects and rhetorical forms of irony, while at the same time distancing itself from these effects and asking its audience to sympathise with and even admire [Ann] Lee, because she is not supposed to be the villain." Robbie Collin of The Telegraph rated it four out of five stars, calling it "ravishingly staged and thrillingly ambitious" and writing that it "left [him] feeling wobbly and breathless."
David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a grade of A−, calling it "a speculative, feverish, and altogether rapturous biopic," and declaring that Seyfried "gives the best performance of her career." Guy Lodge of Variety wrote, "As a study of unyielding faith practiced on wholly singular terms, it's raptly respectful and intellectually curious, even if, dramatically, it can pall across the course of a languid 136-minute runtime. But it's as a full-blown song-and-dance affair — about the least likely, biggest-swinging shape Lee's story could have taken — that the film is most stunningly persuasive." Lodge further added that Seyfried is "quite dazzling as Ann, the self-made icon, wielding a poised, peaceable, but controlling authority in scene after scene." Awarding the film five stars, Loud and Clear critic Clotilde Chinnici writes that "Seyfried delivers an award-worthy performance as Ann Lee with her layered portrayal of a complex and fascinating woman." She also commends the film’s technical achievements, noting that "the cinematography and the costumes immediately bring us back to mid-18th-century England, and later in the film, the United States."
Writing for Time, Stephanie Zacharek praised Seyfried’s performance, describing her as "remarkable", noting that the film would be "unimaginable with any other actress." Zacharek added that The Testament of Ann Lee is "a movie that takes big chances in a culture that, most days, seems allergic to them." Jack Walters of Screen Rant praised Seyfried, calling her performance "career-best" and stating that she "delivers one of the strongest performances of the entire year in this film." Writer and critic Alfred Castaneda echoed this sentiment, writing that "early in the film, it’s clear that this is the best performance of Amanda Seyfried's career." Further praise for her performance came from Adam Nayman of The Ringer, who noted that "Seyfried powers through a performance that earns its instant tour de force reputation and then some." AwardsWatch's Roberto Ruggio awarded the film an A, affirming that "Angelic and fierce at once, Seyfried gives the performance of a lifetime, ferocious, visceral, and vulnerable, making Ann Lee not just a historical figure from the past, but bringing her alive again." Jeff Ewing of Collider affirmed that Ann Lee is "the role Seyfried was born to play," adding that "it's hard to imagine another person as the controversial figure." Bestowing an A+ grade, Cameron Ritter from InSession Film hailed the film as "the movie of the year," calling Seyfried’s performance "breathtaking" and noting that "her singing and emotional range are on full display." Ritter also commended Pullman’s work as William, describing it as his "best performance to date." Kam Ryan of The Rolling Tape writes that Pullman "proves to be the film’s quiet centerpiece," and, in reflecting on Ann and William’s sibling relationship, observes that "his chemistry with Seyfried is a pleasure to watch." Ryan also concludes that "Seyfried’s luminous performance make it a biopic that lingers long after the credits roll and demands to be seen more than once."
In their compilation of the 11 Best Movie Performances of 2025, TheWrap named Seyfried among them, describing her performance as a "showstopper," while also calling it "spectacular," and stating that she "turns what could have been something more conceptual into a piece that is richly felt and extremely detailed." IndieWire named Seyfried to its list of "The 24 Best Film and TV Performances of 2025", writing that she "plays Lee not as a historical symbol but as a woman wrestling, painfully, with the magnitude of her own calling,” and adding that "she doesn’t just carry the film — she transfigures it into her own image." Meanwhile, in the site's annual critics poll of "Best Performances in 2025", she placed ninth. In their list of "The Best Performances of 2025", The Film Stage ranked Seyfried's performance in the role at No. 10, stating that the actress "seems to direct the camera, guiding it with famously expressive eyes towards gestures untethered to the frame. When she levitates, we join."
Editors at Roger Ebert selected Seyfried for their list of "The Great Performances of 2025" and emphasized that the actress "was gifted the role of a lifetime, and she absolutely delivers in one of the most demanding roles of her entire career." Spectrum Culture cited Seyfried among its selections for the "Best Film Performances of 2025", describing her as a "compelling lead actor" and noting that "you can almost see yourself becoming [Ann Lee's] disciple, despite unwavering chastity, something that actors who play religious figures rarely achieve." Collider also included Seyfried in its The Best Movie Performances of 2025 roster, noting that she "gives her all" in a role that is "emotionally and physically draining, but the actress doesn’t hold back in going where she needs to go to capture the essence of [Ann Lee]".
The film was ranked sixth on The GATE's 100 Best Movies of 2025 list, which highlighted "Seyfried’s revelatory lead performance" and emphasized that it "isn’t just a high point for the actress, but the best performance from anyone all year." Rodrigo Perez of The Playlist wrote that Seyfried's performance "lands as another reminder that Seyfried isn’t just excellent; she’s one of the defining actors of her generation" in the site's list of "The 31 Best Performances of 2025". Other sites such as Yardbarker, When Things Go Pop and FilmBook also included Seyfried in their lists of Best Film Performances of 2025. Additionally, W included Seyfried in their Best Performances issue for 2026, with Lynn Hirschberg noting that "Seyfried embodies the real-life 18th-century founder of the Shaker movement with quiet authority, stripping away the sensationalism often attached to religious leaders."
Floortje Smit, from Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, wrote, "[the film] is physical experience that moves and alienates." And Alex Mazereeuw from the same newspaper gave 4 stars (of 5 stars) and wrote "It was precisely her compassion and courage that were the keys for me to understand the character."
