By Design

Directed by Amanda Kramer
2025    1h 31mDrama, Science Fiction,
5.771%
A twist on the body swap genre.

Where to Watch By Design

Cast of By Design

  • Juliette LewisCamille
  • Mamoudou AthieOlivier
  • Melanie GriffithNarrator (voice)
  • Samantha MathisLisa
  • Robin TunneyIrene
  • Alisa TorresMarta
  • Udo KierAldo Fabbri
  • Clifton Collins Jr.Jacob the Stalker
  • Betty BuckleyCynthia
  • Ruby CruzSheila the Intern
  • Cristo MonttGio
  • Jessie-Ann KohlmanTara
  • Cricket ArrisonThe Photographer
  • Bridey ElliottRegina
  • Michelle Farrah HuangThe Journalist
  • Greer CohenEsther
  • Miranda BaileyDiane the Wailing Woman / Producer
  • Jim Chapa
  • Keir GilchristGary
  • Madison McKinleySarah the Stockest
  • Sophie von HaselbergLen
  • Amanda KramerDirector / Writer / Producer
  • Sarah WinshallProducer
  • Natalie WhalenProducer
  • Jacob AggerProducer

By Design Ratings & Reviews

  • Kevin WardJuly 1, 2025
    By Design hinges on an intriguing premise—Juliette Lewis plays Camille, a woman who swaps bodies with a chair and slowly realizes people seem to prefer her that way. It’s reaching for commentary on objectification and invisibility, but its execution is so muted and deadpan it barely registers. The film uses expressive lighting, interpretive dance, and vintage Gershwin to show Camille’s inner world—but these gestures feel more ornamental than affecting. Lewis, usually a live wire, is stuck in stillness, which suits the concept but leaves the film lifeless. There’s a voice here, and a point worth making. But By Design treats its own allegory with such stiff seriousness that the message ends up echoing its form: inert.

 

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