Upon seeing a gorgeous chair in a showroom, Camille (Juliette Lewis) realizes that she truly envies the life of this perfect piece of furniture. If only she could be someone’s favorite thing. When she and the chair swap forms, Camille learns that she is better liked as an inanimate object than she was as a person: her mother (Betty Buckley) finds her to be a better listener, and her best friends (Samantha Mathis and Robin Tunney) enjoy a newfound, friction-free rapport. As the chair, Camille is unable to speak or move and winds up in the hands of Olivier (Mamoudou Athie), a minimalist bachelor who gradually becomes romantically fixated on his elegant new possession. Narrated by Melanie Griffith, this modern fable celebrates the messiness of female interiority with deadpan humor, surrealist flourishes, and interpretative dance numbers. An absurdist spin on the body-swap comedy, By Design is a bold new work from singular filmmaker Amanda Kramer.
Official Selection: NEXT
Sundance Film Festival 2025
“If you want to know the true meaning of love, find someone that looks at you the way Mamoudou Athie looks at a chair in Amanda Kramer’s surreal, stylish and militantly absurd comedy-drama."
Damon Wise
Deadline
“Visually unmistakable and fearlessly abstract, ‘By Design’ stands out as a key entry in an increasingly essential filmography.”
Christian Zilko
IndieWire
“Juliette Lewis and Mamoudou Athie are a joy in this bold body swap comedy.”
Chase Hutchinson
The Wrap
