Title: By Design
MPA Rating: Not Rated
Director: Amanda Kramer
Starring: Juliette Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Robin Tunney
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins

What It Is: Camille (Juliette Lewis) and her friends Lisa (Samantha Mathis) and Irene (Robin Tunney) meet frequently for lunch — and, of course, some gossip. They often pair this with a bit of window shopping, but they never buy. They never buy. When Camille finds a chair that strikes her in a way no piece of furniture ever has, she suddenly can’t live without it. Of course, given that they never buy, Camille doesn’t have the money on her to purchase the chair. When she returns the next day, at the urging of the saleswoman, the chair has been sold. Camille, now obsessed, wishes to be the chair. When that wish is granted, her life takes quite a turn.

What We Think: Sometimes it’s harder to do nothing. Juliette Lewis’ performance isn’t one I think just any actress could pull off. She’s often just sitting there, but there’s something in the stare. Director Amanda Kramer makes weird movies. She makes movies for one person — herself — and that’s kind of what I love about her films. Just look at Please Baby Please, a strange pseudo-musical. It’s not something made for me. It’s very unconventional. What it wasn’t, though, was a bad movie — just a strange one. Amanda Kramer will always get points from me for originality. That said, this film is clearly not to my taste.

Our Grade: C, This is a really well-made movie, even if the narrative wanders a bit too much. A solid backbone from a strong director goes a long way. Though its odd premise may be difficult for some audiences to fully wrap their heads around. If you want a weird little movie, this is one to check out — but consider yourself warned.