| By Design | |
|---|---|
| Film poster | |
| Directed by | Amanda Kramer |
| Written by | Amanda Kramer |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Patrick Meade Jones |
| Edited by | Benjamin Shearn |
| Music by | |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Music Box Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 92 minutes [1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
By Design is a 2025 American drama film written and directed by Amanda Kramer. It stars Juliette Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Melanie Griffith, Samantha Mathis, Robin Tunney, and Udo Kier.
It premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2025. The film is set to be released in theaters on February 13, 2026. [2]
A woman swaps bodies with a chair. [3]
In September 2024, it was announced Juliette Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Samantha Mathis, Robin Tunney, Udo Kier, Clifton Collins Jr. and Betty Buckley had joined the cast of the film, with Amanda Kramer writing and directing. Filming took place in Los Angeles. [4]
It had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2025. [5] In August 2025, Music Box Films acquired distribution rights to the film. [6]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 69% of 36 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Amanda Kramer's delicate creation intellectualizes the absurdity of objectification, yet this film won't sit still in the audience's mind and that's By Design." [7] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100 based on 10 critics, which the site labels as "generally favorable" reviews. [8]