‘By Design’ Review: Juliette Lewis Becomes a Chair in a Bold if Baggy Body-Swap Sundance Movie

variety.com:

Manuel Betancourt The logline for Amanda Kramer’s latest film, “By Design,” sounds both like the setup and the punchline for a winking joke.

When a woman becomes envious and enamored with a striking wooden chair, she suddenly finds herself becoming said chair. Or rather, she ends up swapping bodies with it, forced to live thereafter as the inanimate object she was once so enthralled by.

Outlandish and absurd in equal measure, Kramer’s Sundance dramedy is so obviously operating on its own quirky wavelength that when it eventually runs out of steam, you’re left wishing the “Please Baby Please” filmmaker could’ve pulled off this high-wire act.

When Camille (Juliette Lewis) arrives at a chair store with two chatty friends who barely register her presence, let alone her wants and desires, she’s hardly impressed with what she sees.