Kristen Stewart has officially made her directorial debut at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Her debut feature, The Chronology of Water, premiered to critical acclaim, marking a confident and emotionally searing adaptation of writer Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir.

Starring Imogen Poots as Yuknavitch, the film traces the author’s harrowing journey from a trauma-filled childhood into adulthood marked by addiction, artistic self-discovery, and eventual healing. Poots portrays Lidia, a gifted swimmer and Olympic hopeful, who flees a home defined by abuse and dysfunction.

After losing her scholarship to drugs and alcohol, Lidia relocates to Oregon, where she finds a new beginning. Accepted into Ken Kesey’s experimental writing group, she dives into the world of collaborative storytelling while navigating bisexuality, addiction, and the chaotic intensity of 1980s counterculture.

The arrival of BDSM into her life provides not just sexual liberation but emotional clarity, helping her confront long-buried trauma. The film closes with Lidia finding purpose in teaching and writing, and in the love of her husband and son.

 

Visualizza questo post su Instagram

 

Un post condiviso da Every Lesbian & Their Fashion (@everylesbianandtheirfashion)

Critics have praised Stewart’s distinctive style and unflinching vision. One reviewer on Letterboxd wrote, “Some movies are shot. This one was directed.”

The film currently holds an 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes, a 7.5 on IMDb, and a solid 3.5 on Letterboxd. The Guardian described the film as “an earnest and heartfelt piece of work,” commending the powerful performances Stewart drew from her cast.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Stewart didn’t shy away from political commentary, citing the chilling effect of Donald Trump’s influence on the arts. “His shadow is bleak. You could almost say opaque… The slippage is just terrifying,” she said.

Asked what the filmmaking process taught her by the Cannes team, Kristen Stewart reflected, “I learned to listen to myself. Listen to my friends. To personalise my process. It’s okay to fail. Sometimes that’s how you win.”

Her hope for audiences? “That women’s collective consciousness is real and that pain can’t just be avoided but can be treated and embraced.”

Cannes this year has been rich with queer storytelling, including Anna Cazenave Cambet’s Love Me Tender and the buzz-worthy Pillion, starring Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling in a provocative tale of love, power, and submission.