The Oscars completely snubbed the year's most daring film – and it doesn't make sense

Every Oscars season, us film fans are met with the inevitable snubs: from films of certain genres not being considered serious enough, to quiet, brilliant performances being dropped in favour of louder ones those that sit within the rigid framework of what the Academy considers 'worthy'. Of course, we’re also then often met by the rogue choices that leave everyone blinking in disbelief at their television screens. (I, for one, received a few surprised texts when one certain Best Picture nominee was read out this afternoon…).

This year, however, one particular snub has stuck out like a sore thumb – Mona Fastvold’s The Testament of Ann Lee.

And not only was Ann Lee snubbed – it was completely ignored from the nominations list, with its name not falling under a single category in this year’s slate.

That’s right. Daniel Blumburg’s staggering, hypnotic score (which I actually have on in the background while writing this) was erased; Woman Clothed by the Sun, one of the most angelic original songs of the year (I challenge anyone to listen to it and try to tell me it’s inferior to any of the five nominees) was blanked, Fastvold’s writing and brilliant direction were both nowhere to be seen. Not even Best Actress, which once seemed the only category Ann Lee could get a look in, served plaudits.

It is that latter snub for Best Actress that perhaps is the most shocking. Until about a month ago, Amanda Seyfried receiving an Oscar nomination for pouring her entire heart and soul into playing Mother Ann Lee felt almost inevitable. And yes, while the Best Actress category is undoubtedly stacked this year, Seyfried’s Critics’ Choice and Golden Globe nominations had me convinced that her flawless performance as the founding leader of the Shaker movement would get at least a small nod.

To be clear, The Testament of Ann Lee isn’t some kind of niche, underground film that only four of your biggest cinephile friends have seen (not that obscurity would have made its snub acceptable, but you get my point). Instead, the film boasted a fantastic ensemble (with Seyfried joined by the likes of Lewis Pullman and Thomasin McKenzie), a respected director, and a career-best performance in Seyfried – a previous Oscar nominee, no less.

Mona Fastvold herself is no stranger to the Oscars. In 2024, she left her creative fingerprints all over The Brutalist, which went on to be nominated for 10 awards at the Oscars the following year – including Best Picture. (Though admittedly, Brady Colbert was the director at the helm of The Brutalist, and the Oscars don’t have the best track record with celebrating female filmmakers).

Ann Lee’s complete exclusion is even more surprising given its massive achievement. With such a small budget covering such an epic scope, the cinematography, music, performances and structure all work so deliberately and so uniquely together to create a film that is truly unlike any cinematic experience I have experienced – and it’s a magnificent shame that the Academy considers it unworthy of even the smallest recognition.

Of course, the Oscars have never been particularly intelligent in recognising work that does something completely new. Instead, they are so frequently occupied by films that repeat the same patterns, aesthetics and ideas over and over again, largely ignoring those that have the ability to reshape the way we see cinema.

Because Ann Lee is billed as a musical about a religious leader, and it does take its risks, it therefore falls out of that comfort zone. But every risk the film takes pays off greatly – and in a cinematic landscape that is made up predominantly of regurgitated remakes and gratuitous sequels, each risk is more than welcome.

The film’s huge ambition is what makes it so incredible. Ann Lee may truly be one of the most individual films I have ever seen.

On my first watch, I found myself in desperate need to rewind and watch it all over again – and on my second watch, it made me sob – and honestly, even now, I struggle to articulate exactly why. There is just something so unflinchingly raw, strange and beautiful in its craft that it just goes straight through you. And while, yes, it may be less 'accessible' than films such as Hamnet and Frankenstein, such accessibility should not be a measure of its greatness.

Now, I’m not saying that Ann Lee should completely sweep the awards board. As much as I’d personally welcome that, it’s an unrealistic expectation. A historical film so deeply concerned with female spirituality, leadership and music perhaps was never going to be an easy sell in an environment that prioritises films that do not favour those things. But to ignore the film completely – this year, the Academy have genuinely left me baffled.

(In other, more Ann Lee-related terms, I Hunger and Thirst for the Academy to take this film seriously).

The Testament of Ann Lee will be released in UK cinemas on 20th February.

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