arts
January 30, 2026
‘Women hold our power in our orifices’: Kristen Stewart on her audacious feature directing debut
The Chronology of Water is a ‘punk rock ayahuasca trip’ of a film that takes no prisoners. Stewart and her star, Imogen Poots, talk about the passion and pain that fuelled it
TL;DR
- Kristen Stewart's directorial debut, "The Chronology of Water," is an arthouse film based on Lidia Yuknavitch's memoir.
- The film is described as impressionistic, exploring pain, loss, memory, and the reclamation of desire.
- Stewart found the book in 2018 and felt compelled to direct the adaptation, seeing its visual potential.
- Yuknavitch was drawn to Stewart's "wildly exciting" email and her vision for the film as a piece of art, not a biopic.
- Stewart and Poots discuss the challenges of getting confessional literature by women taken seriously compared to men's.
- Financing the film was difficult, with Stewart admitting it was a "tough sell" due to its explicit themes.
- The film took eight years to develop, with Stewart directing shorts and music videos in the interim.
- Imogen Poots stars as the adult Lidia, praising Stewart's screenplay and the film's raw portrayal of female experience.
- Stewart considers Poots her favorite actor and expressed strong loyalty to her for the role.
- The cast includes Kim Gordon, Thora Birch, and Jim Belushi, who plays Ken Kesey.
- Stewart notes that securing cast and crew was challenging, stating, "we got fucked. In the face. Over and over."
- Thora Birch, who plays Lidia's sister Claudia, relates to Stewart due to their shared experience of becoming famous at a young age.
- Birch describes the film as emblematic of a female experience that many are not ready to dissect, calling it a "punk rock arthouse movie."
- Reviewers have acknowledged Stewart's directing talent, with one stating, "homegirl can direct."
- Stewart and Poots plan to make more movies together.
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