British actress Imogen Poots, who stars as the lead in the film, echoed Stewart’s sentiments. She described the script as rare and transformative
Kristen Stewart, known globally for her acting prowess, has stepped behind the camera with her directorial debut The Chronology of Water, and she hopes the film can help break long-standing barriers in Hollywood by opening doors for more female-driven narratives.
Speaking at Deadline’s Cannes Film Festival studio, the 35-year-old actor-director expressed her desire for the film to inspire a shift in the kinds of stories being told in mainstream cinema. “We broke the seal. Hopefully we can start flooding, gushing into view,” Stewart said, addressing the lack of female-centred storytelling in the industry.
Based on Lidia Yuknavitch’s raw and powerful memoir of the same name, The Chronology of Water follows a woman’s intense journey through trauma, identity, and self-discovery. Stewart is hopeful that the film will challenge the formulaic storytelling that she feels dominates the movie business.
“We get prescribed stories just shoved into our faces, down our throats,” Stewart remarked, voicing frustration over how women are often portrayed in cinema. “The imagery that we consume, the conversations that are not allowed, the fact that we can’t tell people when we’re bleeding, like it’s gross or something.”
British actress Imogen Poots, who stars as the lead in the film, echoed Stewart’s sentiments. She described the script as rare and transformative. “You just don’t read things like that. Or if you do read scripts like that, they’re not getting made,” said Poots. “It was just such a miracle that we ended up making this film. It’s extraordinary.”
Poots’ character evolves into a powerful figure—a teacher and a mother—depicting a depth and complexity that women’s roles often lack in mainstream cinema.
Stewart, who rose to global fame with the Twilight saga, revealed that directing has been a long-time dream, one she has nurtured since the earliest days of her acting career. However, it took years to find the right story that resonated deeply enough for her to commit to the director’s chair.
“I had to wait until right now for this to be actualised,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “There are portals that set you free—texts or songs or conversations—that give you ways into figuring out how you want to wield your voice.”
She first encountered Yuknavitch’s memoir eight years ago and immediately felt the pull toward adapting it. Though the process was slow and demanding, Stewart described it as a deeply fulfilling creative journey. “I’ve wanted to direct movies as long as I have been an actor,” she said. “It’s been a multi-tiered development. But for some reason, psychotically, I’ve wanted to do it forever.”
With The Chronology of Water, Stewart not only realizes a personal artistic milestone but also aims to push the film industry toward broader, bolder representations of womanhood—unsanitized, unapologetic, and honest.
