The Chronology of Water

The Chronology of Water
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKristen Stewart
Screenplay byKristen Stewart
Based onThe Chronology of Water
by Lidia Yuknavitch
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyCorey C. Waters
Edited byOlivia Neergaard-Holm
Music byParis Hurley
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • May 16, 2025 (2025-05-16) (Cannes)
  • October 15, 2025 (2025-10-15) (France)
  • December 5, 2025 (2025-12-05) (United States)
  • February 6, 2026 (2026-02-06) (United Kingdom)
Running time
128 minutes[1]
Countries
  • France
  • Latvia
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$362,839[2]

The Chronology of Water is a 2025 biographical psychological drama film co-produced, written and directed by Kristen Stewart, in her feature film directorial debut, and based on the 2011 memoir of the same name by Lidia Yuknavitch. It stars Imogen Poots as Yuknavitch, along with Thora Birch, Susannah Flood, Tom Sturridge, Kim Gordon, Michael Epp, Earl Cave, Esmé Creed-Miles, and Jim Belushi in supporting roles. Ridley Scott is an executive producer on the film.

The Chronology of Water premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2025. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.[3]

Plot

Lidia Yuknavitch develops a passion for both writing and swimming at a young age, seeing them as a reprieve from her home life, where her father Mike physically abuses her and her sister Claudia, and her alcoholic mother Dorothy ignores the abuse. Mike attempts to keep her from going to college as a means of control, but Lidia manages to fight back and leave for Texas to study, swim, and explore her sexuality. However, she is unable to escape the complicated memories of her father, and her excessive partying, drinking, and drug use quickly jeopardize her academic and sports career.

While on campus, Lidia meets Philip, who she quickly marries despite a problematic relationship: still traumatized from her father's abuse, she views Philip's sensitive and gentle nature as weak and passive, and begins to verbally and physically abuse him. After she becomes pregnant, she leaves him to move in with Claudia and Dorothy, hoping to raise her child together with them, but the baby is stillborn, devastating Lidia. She reconciles with Philip, spreads the baby's ashes at sea, and they amicably divorce; the memories of their marriage and the death of their daughter haunt Lidia throughout her life.

Lidia loses her scholarship and is left rudderless, but a friend convinces her to join her at the University of Oregon to study under Ken Kesey, writing a collaborative novel with the other students in the class. She develops a strong bond with Kesey, who connects with her grief due to the loss of his own son. As her studies continue, she employs a BDSM therapist as a way to heal through her trauma. She wed her second husband, Devin, a relationship marked by passion and volatility she thought she was missing with Phillip, but the marriage quickly collapses.

After a live reading of her work, Lidia is extended an offer by a publishing company, but she continues to sink deeper into alcoholism, culminating in her getting into a car accident while driving drunk, ending in her arrest and community service sentence. She begins teaching creative writing at Eastern Oregon University, where she meets her third husband, Andy, who has been following her career. Though she is initially resistant to the idea of having another child, Andy convinces her that she deserves to be a mother, and she eventually gives birth to their son, Miles. The film concludes with the young family swimming at a lake, with Lidia reflecting on the power of water to heal.

Cast

Production

It was announced in November 2022 that Kristen Stewart was set to make her feature directorial debut with an adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch's memoir The Chronology of Water, directing from a screenplay she co-wrote with Andy Mingo, while Imogen Poots was attached to star. Scott Free Productions is financing the project with Ridley Scott, Michael Pruss and Mingo serving as producers, and Scott Aharoni, Sinan Eczacibasi, Metin Alihan Yalcindag and Rebecca Feuer serving as executive producers.[6] In September 2024, it was announced Thora Birch, Earl Cave, Michael Epp, Susannah Flood, Kim Gordon and Jim Belushi had joined the cast of the film.[7]

Principal photography took place in Latvia and Malta over six weeks in June and July 2024.[8]

Release

Kim Gordon, Imogen Poots, Kristen Stewart, and Thora Birch before the red carpet in Cannes

The Chronology of Water had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2025, and received a six and a half minute standing ovation.[9][10] In August 2025, The Forge acquired the distribution rights to the film in the United States, releasing in limited theaters on December 5, 2025, before expanding to a wider release on January 9, 2026.[11] Les Films du Losange released the film earlier in France on October 15, 2025,[12] and British Film Institute released the film later in the United Kingdom and Ireland on February 6, 2026.[13]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of 74 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Navigating a journey of emotional healing with impressive fluidity, Kristen Stewart's feature directorial debut is ably shouldered by Imogen Poots' bracingly naturalistic performance."[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[15][16] M. Sellers Johnson of Offscreen lauded the film as a highlight of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival writing, "Stewart’s blistering debut will surely prompt divisive discourse on its aggressive art film aesthetics, challenging violent and sexual material, and close lens on the topic of trauma. But for all its experiments and deliberate provocations, the film finds itself grounded in deep, personal meaning."[17]

Umnia El-Neil of Obscurae praised the film’s refusal to portray Lidia Yuknavitch as a “Perfect Victim,” noting its seamless navigation through fragmented memories and powerful performances from Imogen Poots and Jim Belushi.[18] Tim Grierson of Screen Daily highlighted the film’s intimate 16mm aesthetics and Poots’ raw portrayal, while noting that its persistent tone of pain can at times feel repetitive, despite Stewart’s strong directorial instincts and a resonant, hopeful conclusion.[19] Pavel Snapkou of Showbiz by PS offered a more mixed assessment, acknowledging the film’s emotional intensity and stylistic ambition while pointing out its uneven pacing.[20]

Accolades

Award / Festival Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival 24 May 2025 Un Certain Regard Kristen Stewart Nominated [21]
Camera d'Or Nominated
Miskolc International Film Festival 13 September 2025 Emeric Pressburger Prize The Chronology of Water Nominated [22]
Adolf Zukor Award Won [23]
Deauville American Film Festival 13 September 2025 Revelation Prize Won [24]
Grand Prize Kristen Stewart Nominated [25]
Savannah Film Festival 31 October 2025 Rising Star Director Award Won [26]
Valladolid International Film Festival 1 November 2025 Golden Spike The Chronology of Water Nominated [27]
IndieWire Honors 1 December 2025 Maverick Award Kristen Stewart Won [28]
Astra Film Awards January 9, 2026 Best Indie Feature The Chronology of Water Nominated [29]
Best First Feature The Chronology of Water Nominated

References

  1. ^ "The Chronology of Water (18)". British Board of Film Classification. December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  2. ^ "The Chronology of Water". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved January 25, 2026.Edit this at Wikidata
  3. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (May 16, 2025). "'The Chronology of Water' Review: Kristen Stewart's Directorial Debut Is a Stirring Drama of Abuse and Salvation, Told With Poetic Passion". Variety. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  4. ^ "THE CHRONOLOGY OF WATER". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
  5. ^ The Film at IMDb
  6. ^ Kroll, Justin (November 16, 2022). "Kristen Stewart To Direct Scott Free's Adaptation Of 'The Chronology Of Water' Starring Imogen Poots". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  7. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (September 9, 2024). "Kristen Stewart First Image Released From Shoot of Directorial Feature Debut 'The Chronology of Water'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  8. ^ Dams, Tim (September 9, 2024). "Les Films du Losange, WME Independent board Kristen Stewart's 'The Chronology Of Water'; first look unveiled". Screen International. Retrieved September 9, 2024.[dead link]
  9. ^ Tartaglione, Zac Ntim,Nancy (May 16, 2025). "Kristen Stewart's 'The Chronology Of Water' Flows To 6½-Minute Ovation After Cannes Premiere".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Dier, Arden (May 19, 2025). "Kristen Stewart Drops 'One Hell of a Directorial Debut'". Newser.
  11. ^ D’Alessandro, Anthony (August 26, 2025). "Kristen Stewart's Directorial Debut 'The Chronology Of Water' Acquired By The Forge". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  12. ^ Les Films du Losange (October 1, 2025). Bande-annonce officielle - THE CHRONOLOGY OF WATER de Kristen Stewart (au cinéma le 15 octobre 2025). Retrieved February 18, 2026 – via YouTube.
  13. ^ BFI (January 8, 2026). The Chronology of Water trailer | In UK & Ireland cinemas 6 February. Retrieved January 8, 2026 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ "The Chronology of Water". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  15. ^ "The Chronology of Water". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
  16. ^ "The Chronology of Water Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  17. ^ Johnson, M. Sellers (May 31, 2025). "Staring at the Sun: Luminous Tragedies, Repertory Screenings, and Sentimental Stories at Cannes 2025". Offscreen. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  18. ^ El-Neil, Umnia (October 14, 2025). "The Chronology of Water (Review)". Obscurae. Obscurae. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  19. ^ Grierson, Tim (May 17, 2025). "'The Chronology Of Water' review: Kristen Stewart's debut is an intense deep-dive into the life of a troubled artist". Screen Daily. Screen Daily. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  20. ^ Snapkou, Pavel (October 15, 2025). "Movie Review: The Chronology Of Water by Kristen Stewart". Showbiz by PS. Showbiz by PS. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  21. ^ "The films of the Official Selection 2025". Festival de Cannes. April 10, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  22. ^ "Hungarian-related films at this year's CineFest". CineFest. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  23. ^ "Norwegian, American, Kazakh, and Iraqi films among the winners: the awards of the 21st CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival have been presented". CineFest. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  24. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (September 13, 2025). "Deauville Festival 2025 Winners: Joel Edgerton Thriller The Plague, Plan B-Produced Olmo and Kristen Stewart's Chronology of Water Take Top Awards". Variety. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  25. ^ "Deauville American Film Festival Official Selection 2025". Deauville American Film Festival. August 13, 2025. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  26. ^ "Honored guests". Savannah Film Festival. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  27. ^ "Avance de Seminci: estos son los nombres que competirán por la Espiga de Oro" [Seminci Preview: These are the names that will compete for the Golden Spike]. Cadena SER. July 24, 2025.
  28. ^ Jones, Marcus (November 12, 2025). "IndieWire Honors to Toast Adam Sandler, Kristen Stewart, Chase Infiniti, and More". IndieWire. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  29. ^ Alter, Ethan (November 25, 2025). "One Battle After Another leads Astra Film Awards nominations". GoldDerby. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronology_of_Water