The alienating nature of the premise is what makes it fascinating, pushing us to question how we want to be seen and experienced as people in the world.

| Feb 13, 2025

Amanda Kramer was already one to watch and her fifth dramatic feature proves she is an unmatched voice in American indie cinema.

| Feb 12, 2025

There are some sharp ideas in “By Design” and one excellent performance, but it often struggles to tie those ideas together in a coherent way, wearing out its welcome long before it’s over.

| Jan 25, 2025

A fascinatingly designed and overtly theatrical daydream that wonders whether the world treats a nice chair better than a human woman.

| Original Score: B | Jan 25, 2025

A movie whose aesthetic is impeccably judged but whose commentary is frustratingly scattered. Its uncompromising artistry is intriguing, but it’s more performance art than camp classic.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jan 25, 2025

Visually unmistakable and fearlessly abstract, “By Design” stands out as a key entry in an increasingly essential filmography. It won’t be for everyone, but that’s by design.

| Original Score: B | Jan 24, 2025

It’s strange in an intentionally stilted fashion. Critically, the cast approaches their parts with the seriousness necessary to pull the cocktail of silliness and sincerity off. It will alienate some, but that’s also what makes it work.

| Jan 24, 2025

Those with a hankering for willfully pretentious absurdity may find this festival entry right up their alley.

| Jan 24, 2025