Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Strange, absurd, experimental comedy about objectification.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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By Design
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In BY DESIGN, Camille (Juliette Lewis) lives a simple, quiet life, lunching weekly with her two best friends, Lisa (Samantha Mathis) and Irene (Robin Tunney). One day, after lunch, the trio go shopping. Although they usually never buy anything, Camille is suddenly struck by a beautiful chair in a high-end shop. She decides to go home and think about whether she can afford such an extravagant purchase, but when she returns the next morning, the chair has been sold. Camille makes a wish to "just be here" with the chair, and before she knows it, her soul has been transferred to the chair, while her body remains a limp, empty vessel. The purchaser of the chair, Marta (Alisa Torres), gives it to her ex-boyfriend, Olivier (Mamoudou Athie). Olivier immediately discovers that there's something special about the chair and finds he can't part with it.
Is It Any Good?
This absurdist, experimental film is an odd experience and won't be to everyone's tastes, but its themes of objectification and possession are interesting, and it certainly never gets dull. Filmmaker Amanda Kramer hit on a clever idea in having Melanie Griffith narrate By Design; her familiar voice provides a perfect counterbalance to the movie's strangeness. Everything on-screen feels just a little bit off, from the women's clothing and hairstyles to the deliberately theatrical way in which people behave and speak to one another.
But the movie gets its themes across in interesting ways. It's easy to see the chair as a symbol for the object of a person's gaze, but even more fascinating is the way that characters project themselves and their fears, wants, and opinions on the blank slate that Camille becomes. Perhaps subtler is the way the movie explores how desire relates to possession, how the characters want to get their hands on the things they desire, and how they treat people as objects in the process. (The ironic thing is that the chair actually is an object.) Much of By Design is off-putting, and it will be a struggle for many audiences to get through, but for some it will stick in the memory.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about By Design's themes, including objectification. What is being objectified? What do you think the movie is trying to say?
What do you think the chair itself represents?
What is experimental film, and what makes it different from more traditional cinematic storytelling? How can filmmakers use images, rather than plot, to get ideas across?
How does Camille define herself before and after her transformation? What does the movie suggest about how people are valued? What does the chair represent?
What does Camille mean when she says that "resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die"?
Movie Details
- In theaters : February 13, 2026
- On DVD or streaming : March 17, 2026
- Cast : Juliette Lewis , Mamoudou Athie , Samantha Mathis
- Director : Amanda Kramer
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Music Box Films
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Friendship
- Run time : 91 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : February 24, 2026
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