The Chronology of Water Trailer: Kristen Stewart Makes Her Directorial Debut This Winter

      After collaborating with Olivier Assayas, David Fincher, Kelly Reichardt, David Cronenberg, among others, Kristen Stewart has made an outstanding directorial debut this year with The Chronology of Water. This fragmented depiction of a life, inspired by Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir, features a cast that includes Imogen Poots, Thora Birch, Susannah Flood, Tom Sturridge, Kim Gordon, Michael Epp, and Jim Belushi. The Forge has acquired the film for a one-week qualifying run starting December 5 at NYC’s Village East and LA’s Laemmle Royal, with a broader release set for January 9. The first trailer and poster have been released.

      The synopsis reads: “Based on Lidia Yuknavitch's cherished memoir and marking Kristen Stewart's directorial debut, THE CHRONOLOGY OF WATER offers a raw and unflinching exploration of survival, sexuality, and self-discovery. The narrative follows Lidia’s life from her earliest memories in the Pacific Northwest, where she begins as a promising swimmer, through tumultuous relationships, near-motherhood, addiction, and encounters with artistic icons. Presented as a flowing recollection, the story transforms trauma into artistic expression, capturing Yuknavitch’s defiant voice that has turned her work into a contemporary cult favorite. It chronicles not only a woman's journey to becoming a writer but also a visceral exploration of the ruins and resilience of a life lived unconventionally.”

      In her review, Savina Petkova notes that The Chronology of Water stays true to its source material, broadening the five-act structure and first-person narrative into a rich, textured 16mm film sanctuary where everything told is preserved eternally. Cinematographer Corey C. Waters, in his largest project to date, often employs extreme close-ups in static shots, intercutting with others to portray Lidia’s (Imogen Poots) fragmented body, reflecting her struggle to embrace her completeness. The film opens with a montage of powerful images—blood swirling down a drain, pebbles on baby clothes, a pregnant woman's abdomen—as these intense close-ups dominate the screen in their gritty detail; crackling sounds and silent pauses create space for an ambient soundtrack that immerses the viewer. This represents subjective cinema at its finest.

      See the trailer and poster below.