Music Box Films is set to release their absurdist body-swap comedy BY DESIGN on VOD and digital platforms later this month, arriving on March 17th, 2026. The film world premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival before launching in US theaters on February 13th, 2026.
By Design is written and directed by Amanda Kramer. It stars Juliette Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Betty Buckley, Melanie Griffith, Samantha Mathis, Robin Tunney, and Udo Kier.
In the film, Upon seeing a gorgeous chair in a showroom, Camille (Juliette Lewis) realizes that she truly envies the life of this perfect piece of furniture. If only she could be someone’s favorite thing. When she and the chair swap forms, Camille learns that she is better liked as an inanimate object than she was as a person: her mother (Betty Buckley) finds her to be a better listener, and her best friends (Samantha Mathis and Robin Tunney) enjoy a newfound, friction-free rapport. As the chair, Camille is unable to speak or move and winds up in the hands of Olivier (Mamoudou Athie), a minimalist bachelor who gradually becomes romantically fixated on his elegant new possession.
Narrated by Melanie Griffith, this modern fable celebrates the messiness of female interiority with deadpan humor, surrealist flourishes, and interpretative dance numbers. An absurdist spin on the body-swap comedy, By Design is a bold new work from singular filmmaker Amanda Kramer.
We’ve added the release date to our Streaming Calendar. Check out the film’s official trailer below.