Amanda Kramer’sBy Designunmistakably fits the filmmakers chicly eclectic canon.
Juliette Lewisstars as Camille, a silently suffering woman stuck in her monotonous routine.
Spying on neighbors, lunch with her gal pals, and shopping trips without purchases.
Image via Sundance Institute
Then, one day, Camille spies the most “stunning” chair but it’s sold.
Katarina Zhu writes, directs, and stars in this Sundance standout.
That’s the struggle ofBy Design.
Image by Jovelle Tamayo via Sundance Institute
Expressive body motions flow like high art, while outlying obscurity reads rigid.
Everything is intentional, but that doesn’t stave off a redundancy of idiosyncratic appeal.
Camille’s out-of-body, handcrafted journey requires injections of life because not every gag lands.
It’s a conundrum becauseBy Designholds a volatile individualistic power at its core.
Frankly,By Designwill be praised and reviled as intended.
Amanda Kramer isn’t here for our approval.
Image by Jovelle Tamayo via Sundance Institute
Technical elements are all polished, fromPatrick Meade Jones’Ikea-sexy cinematography toGiulio CarmassiandBryan Scary’sjazzy and somewhat whispering score.
The problem is the film’s sustainability and the increasing heft of Kramer’s stylistic indulgence.
By Designpremiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
A comedy-drama film which explores the surreal experience of a woman who inadvertently swaps bodies with a chair.
