The Chronology of Water

A young woman finds her voice in words and water. Kristen Stewart’s long‑awaited directorial debut is an intense dive into the life of the tormented artist from Lidia Yuknavitch’s poetic memoirs. From Olympic swimmer to a life marked by addiction and trauma, shot on 16 mm film and edited with dreamlike intensity, the film radiates as much pain as beauty.

Drowned in memory, reborn in words. In her long-awaited, daring directorial debut, acclaimed actress Kristen Stewart brings the raw, poetic memoirs of Lidia Yuknavitch to the screen. With Imogen Poots as Lidia, a former Olympic swimmer, the film traces a turbulent journey of escape from an abusive household into battles with addiction and self-doubt. Told in fragmentary chapters, it revisits her traumas, her search for solace in drugs, sexuality, and writing, and her eventual rebirth as an author, teacher, partner, and mother. Shot on 16mm and edited with dreamlike intensity, the imagery carries as much pain as it does beauty: water that threatens and redeems in equal measure. The film had its world premiere in Cannes 2025’s Un Certain Regard section, where it received thunderous applause for its hypnotic style and Poots’ powerhouse performance. - Filmfestival Gent

2025 – Film, DCP, colour, 128 min., O.V. English.

Director: Kristen Stewart
Music (original): Paris Hurley
With: Tom Sturridge, Imogen Poots, Thora Birch, Jim Belushi, Earl Cave