Weeks before attending Sundance, while pouring over the schedule of films in the "midnight" category, one film caught my eye strictly based on its description:
"A woman swaps bodies with a chair and everyone likes her better as a chair."
By Design was the first film I added to my schedule. How could I not? Most films provide long, detailed descriptions, but this one sentence was irresistibly intriguing. And spot-on accurate.
Someone told writer/director Amanda Kramer that this is "a movie for people who hate movies", a sentiment she agreed with. That's a little harsh, but I would describe this as an experimental work of visual art that will challenge you to examine your assumptions about storytelling and filmmaking. It's an art film for artists.
Juliette Lewis plays Camille, a woman bored with life who has weekly get-togethers with two of her friends. One day the trio goes to a fancypants, high-end furniture store to marvel at products out of their league and they see a custom wooden chair that captures their attention.
Camille, though, has a deep, deep reaction. The chair strikes her at an emotional and sensual level. If you've ever seen a work of art that profoundly speaks to you, you'll know what she's experiencing. She imagines how much better her life would be with this chair in it. She feels as though she would be seen.
The price of the chair is way beyond her means, so Camille decides to sleep on it and come back the next day. When she returns, the chair has a "sold" tag on it. She's devastated and manages to somehow swap souls with this object. Her lifeless body maintains a comatose existence, which everyone is happy with. Camille's Mom visits her apartment to organize her shoes and carry on a one-way conversation, and friends visit as though there's nothing unusual about Camille who can't move, but just lies on the floor. She has never been less seen.
But as a chair, people talk about her. Sitting on the chair becomes an erotic experience. Its shape and form serve a useful function and the chair is needed in a way Camille never feels. It's beautiful and it exists in a world where it is needed.
And from there, By Design gets weird. It's difficult to describe the paths this movie wanders down and the questions it raises. It leads to unexpected places, some dark, and others quite amusing.
Interestingly, as someone who makes furniture and is in both the woodworking and art world, there isn't anything particularly special or exquisite about this chair. The design is nice, but not exactly high-end art furniture. Plywood back, simple curves and joinery. Nothing as orgasmic and stunning as all the characters believe. I actually love this detail, intended or not. It reflects Camille's self image and stage in life.
The bizarre and funny moments in By Design are followed by poignant moments that question our relationships to art and objects and the importance of perceived value.
It's hard for me to recommend this movie, especially if you're looking for a traditional narrative story. By Design is a very experimental film meant to be experienced with an open mind. The messages it wants to convey get a little muddy at times, and other times it becomes exhausting.
I appreciate what Amanda Kramer has created here. This is a surreal work of art that will resonate with some people while boring others. It provides no answers to what you are witnessing on screen and doesn't attempt to explain the motivations of the characters. I doubt I have the energy to watch it again, but maybe I would get a lot more out of it, knowing a little about what to expect.
If you are a creative person looking for some inspiration, spend an artsy 90 minutes with By Design. Give it a chance and see what you get from it. You may hate it, you may be indifferent, or you may totally connect with it. But that's the nature of art.
