The Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival is reserved for films with an unusual style depicting non-traditional stories. While there’s nothing more usual than a woman prevailing through trauma, The Chronology of Water
takes the meaning of perseverance to new heights. For her feature directorial debut, Kristen Stewart (Happiest Season, Twilight) returned to Cannes for the seventh time to show us what she’s made of behind the camera. And show us she did. The Chronology of Water is a boisterous spectacle of the female experience directed with pure love and sincerity.
Based on the 2011 memoir by Lidia Yuknavitch, the screenplay was co-written by Stewart and Andy Mingo. The story journeys through the life of an aspiring Olympic swimmer as a disarray of fragmented memories flowing through a poetic lens begging to be unscrambled. Like the original biography, Stewart isn’t interested in presenting Lidia’s story as a tidy narrative with a clear beginning and end. That’s life: it’s complicated and oftentimes messy. The Chronology of Water, through all its bold strokes of storytelling, is rhythmic as it gallantly celebrates the triumph of a rehabilitated woman.
The Chronology Of Water Is An Experience That Drenches You With Intensity
With her pen and creative vision, Stewart directs the hell out of Imogen Poots as Lidia, who detaches from the painful experience of being Sєxually abused by her father (Michael Epp). Told in five chapters — holding breath, under blue, the wet, resuscitations, and the other side of drowning — this film isn’t just bold storytelling, it’s a phenomenon that drenches you with intensity. From the opening sequence, the whole point is to create thunderous encounters with your senses to bring you into Lidia’s mental state. At any given moment, you’re bound, by design, to feel its radical power.
As Lidia’s memories continue to unravel, so does her ability to cope in what most would consider unhealthy methods. She heavily indulges in alcohol to the detrimental point of losing her swimming scholarship. But it is through rock bottom that Lidia identifies a path forward and an opportunity to reclaim her voice and herself. Connecting with her sister (Thora Birch) during one of the most difficult moments in her life is just the start. It’s at the University of Oregon, writing under the guidance of Ken Kesey (Jim Belushi), where Lidia begins to emerge a more healed version of herself.
Kristen Stewart Is Right Where She Belongs — Directing Movies
From there, Stewart’s debut is a platform for ephemeral pain, compᴀssion, despondency, and love. But do not be dismayed. Long after the credits roll for The Chronology of Water, you will be saturated with a heightened sense that Kristen Stewart is right where she belongs — directing movies with such open-heartedness, audacity, and vigor. This isn’t just a story about enduring and surviving trauma. It’s about finding your voice on your own terms and through your own methods. Only then can you develop your agency. If that doesn’t leave a long-lasting impression, I don’t know what will.
Stewart’s direction is also incredibly inviting as we undergo various transformations with Lidia. SH๏τ on 16mm film, scenes often feel like we’re right there with the character, providing a hint of documentary texture, intimacy, and rawness. Together with cinematographer Corey C. Waters, the technical team enables us as viewers to witness the highs and lows up close. Contrary to the narrative, Jennifer Dunlap’s production is often vibrant, full of life and color, even when Lidia is at her darkest.
The Chronology of Water is a boisterous spectacle of the female experience directed with pure love and sincerity.
Much of what transpires onscreen is thanks to Stewart’s liberated filmmaking. As a first-time director, she knows exactly how to trust and rely on her talented cast. Imogen Poots, for example, is just out of this world. We couldn’t survive 128 minutes of beautiful chaos, despair, and jumbled memories without a lead actress who could handle such a tall order. Poots isn’t just performing, she’s living and breathing her character from page to screen, from sH๏τ to sequence. Stewart and Poots are a dream duo. I can only hope that after this first achievement they’ll work together again.
Not everyone is blessed in this lifetime to fully realize one’s talents to the point of offering something of enormous impact and value. Kristen Stewart is. The Chronology of Water, through all its intricacies and fragments, is a stunning debut overflowing with confidence, authenticity, and soul. What a pleasure it is to witness a story, baked in trauma, emerge as an inspirational vessel for growth and agency. This is art at its finest. If Kristen Stewart decides to permanently remain behind the camera, the art of filmmaking is in good hands.
