Directed by: Amanda Kramer
Distributed by: TBA
Written by Jeff Sparks
55/100
As one of the more disliked films from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, I don’t think much of the audience knew what they were getting into with Amanda Kramer’s newest film, “By Design,” which sees Juliette Lewis’ Camille become infatuated with a designer chair and subsequently swapping bodies with it. Also appearing in the film are Robin Tunney, Samantha Mathis, Mamoudou Athie, Clifton Collins Jr., Udo Kier, and the underappreciated Sophie von Hasselberg who starred in Kramer’s previous work, “Give Me Pity!.” As someone who has followed Kramer’s career, I think this is perhaps her least strange film to date. Though the film is in line with her other work in the sense that it is an endurance test. The offbeat tone and glacial pace remain constant for the entirety of the runtime. The eccentric nature of the concept goes hand in hand with the way the film unfolds, which sees scenes focusing more on ideas rather than any semblance of a sensical story. Through its eighty-two minutes, the main question posed by “By Design” is ‘what is it like to be wanted for what you are?” After sitting through the film, one must wonder if the film needed to be feature-length, but then again, if it were just a short, it wouldn’t achieve Kramer’s signature pacing that forces you to remember the film whether you liked it or not.
My main takeaway from the film is the post-screening interviews with Kramer, which made it evident to me that she should star in her own films in a Miranda July-esque kind of way. Her wonderfully vibrant, eccentric personality would make for a captivating screen presence. The types of people with one-of-a-kind personalities are the same people that give one-of-a-kind performances, whether they have formal training in acting or not. Just look at Sheri Moon Zombie, who is one of my favorite people to watch. Besides, like with July, no one else can truly understand her style better than her. I won’t pretend to know everything this film is trying to say because, just like Kramer said about the intended viewing experience, I came away with “more questions than answers.”
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