By Design Film Review: Satire on Self-Worth

Amanda Kramer’s By Design is a bizarre, satirical fable about identity and validation, featuring a committed cast and Juliette Lewis at her most bizarre.

When she becomes infatuated with a beautiful chair she can’t afford, she inexplicably transforms into it, only to find that people, including the charming pianist Olivier (Mamoudou Athie, of Kinds of Kindness), prefer her this way. What follows is a deadpan, darkly comedic fable about identity, self-perception, and the uncomfortable reality that sometimes, people value objects more than the individuals around them.

The film thrives on its commitment to its own weirdness, and the cast leans fully into the oddity of it all. Juliette Lewis delivers a fantastic performance, balancing camp and deadpan humor with precision. Her portrayal of Camille, both as a woman and as a concept, is magnetic, making the bizarre premise feel oddly grounded. Mamoudou Athie is equally compelling, bringing charm and sincerity to Olivier, whose relationship with Camille-as-a-chair becomes both hilarious and unsettling.

Kramer’s direction and writing are sharp, blending theatricality with cinematic surrealism. The film’s heightened dialogue and mannered performances give it a stage-like quality, making it feel like a living, breathing piece of performance art. Kramer skillfully satirizes how people construct their identities through external validation, exposing the absurdity of social scripts that dictate human interactions. Camille, as a person, is overlooked, undervalued, and used by those around her, yet as a chair, she becomes desirable, useful, and even beloved. The film plays with this irony in increasingly strange and darkly funny ways, forcing the audience to consider how much of our worth is determined by others rather than by ourselves.

For the first 30 minutes, By Design is consistently engaging, fueled by its offbeat humor and striking visual compositions. However, the movie eventually begins to overstay its welcome. Once the central conceit is established, the repetition of its themes starts to dilute their impact. While Kramer’s commitment to the bit is admirable, the film doesn’t evolve much beyond its initial premise, making the latter half feel less engaging than its sharp and intriguing start.

That said, the film still works, largely due to the strength of its performances and the sheer audacity of its concept. It recalls the work of Charlie Kaufman or Yorgos Lanthimos, where heightened, surreal situations reflect painfully relatable human truths. By Design may not be for everyone, but for those who appreciate their satire laced with absurdity, it offers a strangely poignant meditation on self-worth, social performance, and the unsettling realization that, sometimes, people really do prefer objects over other people.

By Design had its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2025.