While quirky and strange are always welcoming qualities to an innovative film, they can also be quite risky. In the case of Bubble & Squeak, Evan Twohy manages to craft a charming film with layers of subtle complexity. By Design, on the other hand, is a commendable attempt at inventive filmmaking by Amanda Kramer, that unfortunately alienates more than it invigorates.
Bubble & Squeak (Evan Twohy)
Clearly inspired by the stylistic approach of Wes Anderson, with less rigidity and more fluidity, Bubble & Squeak is certainly an interesting film. Gripping tightly to its odd sensibilities, Evan Twohy’s first feature film is an assured debut that has its blemishes, but still manages to be captivating and creatively charged.
Adapting his own play, the film revolves around Declan (Himesh Patel) and Delores (Sarah Goldberg) as they embark on their honeymoon in a fictional country. Far from a typical destination for newlyweds, this strange country has outlawed cabbages, which is ruthlessly enforced by a local officer, Shazbor (Matt Berry). As Declan and Delores are questioned about carrying potential contraband, they are hoisted across the country, where they meet a slew of local residents. Steven Yeun and Dave Franco also make memorable appearances.
Bathing openly in its cheerful oddities, Bubble & Squeak is an intriguing narrative that manages to be captivating from beginning to end. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding its thematic gestures, which is kept afloat by Twohy’s sharp screenplay. Exchanges between characters are never straightforward, and carry a sense of endearment, despite how strange things get. Performances across the board are expectedly solid, with Berry and Franco playing particularly well to their comedic tendencies.
There’s also something very gentle about the world envisioned by Twohy, which helps capture feelings of nostalgia that seem inherent to the time and place being depicted in this fictional country. Mind you, the story does contain much darker undertones, but even these elements are portrayed with a softer touch. And as all the layers of the narrative are steadily unpeeled, we’re left to dwell on the film’s grander assertions about life.
Bubble & Squeak, not surprisingly, is far from a straightforward film, and its final act leaves the door open to interpretation. Its humour and creative ingenuity as a narrative will likely not appeal to everyone, but Twohy stuck to his guns and captured this story exactly the way he wanted.
By Design (Amanda Kramer)
If the tagline of ‘woman turns into a chair’ isn’t enough to hook you in, then By Design likely isn’t your cup of tea. In fact, even if the premise does pique your interest, Amanda Kramer’s latest might still be too alienating an experience, even for those who crave more innovative storytelling. Told with steadfast conviction, the film is inventive and unique, but ultimately lacks cohesion, resulting in a disjointed narrative that’s perhaps too abstract for its own good.
In the film, Juliette Lewis plays Camille, a woman who becomes enamoured by a designer chair she can’t afford, and somehow has her inner soul transferred into the chair itself. After the chair is purchased by another buyer, it’s gifted to a pianist, Olivier (Mamoudou Athie), who forms his own connection with the furniture piece. Robin Tunney and Samantha Mathis play Camille’s absentminded friends, while Melanie Griffith serves as the film’s narrator.
As an artistic endeavour, it’s hard not to commend Kramer for her ingenuity, which is put on full display in By Design. The film’s thematic gestures are often heavy and deeply moving, with the beginning and ending being particularly poignant. Both the urge and resistance to being objectified is captured quite eloquently, creating some degree of thoughtful catharsis when all is said and done. Everything in between, however, is unfortunately a hazy sludge of ideations, lacking in narrative competence. There’s a void of clarity in what the film is actually trying to convey, with many of Kramer’s illustrious and abstract set pieces failing to latch on with any discernible meaning.
Lewis, despite her role as an inanimate object, is convincing as a tragic soul, burdened by her somewhat undefined sorrows. Athie is also captivating in his role as a companion of sorts to the chair, and indirectly, Camille, conveying a lot through a screenplay that’s rather sparse in dialogue.
To say that Kramer was ambitious in crafting a film as abstract and strange as By Design would be an understatement. This was certainly an undertaking deserving of praise, even if the final product is for the most part too alienating and removed from cohesive narration. By Design is bookended by a great start and finish, but that’s not nearly enough to save it from its obscure, albeit valiant, efforts in storytelling.
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