The Contending’s Megan McLachlan talks to The Testament of Ann Lee director Mona Fastvold about the complex figure at the center of her film and Ann’s relationship with sex.

Director Mona Fastvold agrees that Ann Lee was as misunderstood in the 1700s as she is today.

“After our first press screening in Venice, supposedly, 15 male critics stormed out during the birthing sequence,” says Fastvold in our video interview. “I don’t know if that’s true or not, but that’s what I heard. And, you know, it’s made me both excited and terrified because such a big part of our business is run by the white, middle-aged male.”

But if you’re on Film Twitter, you’ll see that, like the founder of the Shaker movement, The Testament of Ann Lee movie has a cult following, of both men and women.

“She’s defiant and complicated. And it’s really exciting to bring those complicated characters to life. Someone sent me a screenshot of an article that said, ‘Is there room in Hollywood for Oscars […] for these really complicated women?’ I don’t know if there is, but it sure will be exciting if there were.”

Of course, how do you tackle a character like Ann Lee, a woman who starts a religious movement based around celibacy? Recently, Variety critic Owen Gleiberman wrote that Ann becomes traumatized after catching her parents having sex (which might be a glib interpretation).

“My take is probably because Ann was part of delivering most of those babies [in her family] as well. And they lived in small, tight quarters. So there’s probably hardly any privacy. So I do think that her exposure to their sexuality and all these births and then her mother eventually most likely dying in childbirth [caused her aversion to sex].”

Was the sex between her parents not consensual, and was that part of her trauma?

“I don’t know. It’s hard to say. I’m sure [her mother] felt at that time it was your duty and obligation to sleep with your husband.”

I had a great conversation with Fastvold about her incredible film, including why the soundtrack from Daniel Blumberg sounds orgasmic.

Watch or listen to the conversation below!

Mona Fastvold Ann Lee conversation