Okay, now Kristen Stewart is just showing off.
The Oscar nominated “Spencer” star steps behind the camera, writing and directing “The Chronology of Water,” which premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. A portrait of pain, rebirth and reclamation, the film’s heartbeat comes from Stewart’s skillful and natural filmmaking. It is bolstered by two veteran actors we haven’t seen do something like this in years, Jim Belushi and Thora Birch.
Adapted from Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir, it recounts her story of going from a champion swimmer, to an addict, and later a writer. Stewart’s directorial debut has an avant-garde sensibility that’s part “The Basketball Diaries,” part Terrence Malick reverie, with a dash of Jim Jarmusch’s cool restraint and an undercurrent of rebellion that flows through it. The film benefits by being made from a female perspective that never shies away from the volatility of lived experience, the sacredness of the body or the ugly grace of survival.
And to think, despite Stewart’s “Twilight” stardom, it took 10 credited producers — and nine executive producers — to get this over the finish line. A hot acquisition title, some daring and savvy studio would be wise to nab this gem.
At the center of the film is Imogen Poots, who blazed onto the scene in 2007’s “28 Weeks Later.” Here she delivers a searing performance as Lidia — a woman shaped by abuse, swimming, literature and unimaginable loss. But it’s the presence of Belushi and Birch that gives the film’s story of generational trauma an anchoring gravity even though they have limited screen time.
In one of the best roles of his career, Belushi plays novelist Ken Kesey, who is dealing with a tragic loss while teaching college lit classes. Known for broad comedy and dad-next-door roles, the “According to Jim” actor delivers a quietly shattering performance. His presence hangs over parts of the film like a fog: intoxicating, toxic, unforgettable.
His casting is a masterstroke. Stewart subverts Belushi’s public persona. He’s neither charming nor comedic — just tragically real. He’s someone you might have encountered in your English department in college, coasting on the fumes of their talent and intellect, while grappling with a hurt that doesn’t heal. It’s the kind of late-career pivot that recalls what Nick Nolte pulled off in “Warrior” or what Judd Hirsch brought to “The Fabelmans.”
There’s a key moment in the second act — Belushi, outdoors and drunk with inspiration with Poots — monologues about what makes Lidia a writer. A mix of fury, regret and awe passes across his eyes. Is he the monster Lidia is running from, or something more complicated? He’s a man witnessing a brokenness, possibly being pieced back together. It’s one of Belushi’s finest moments as an actor.
And then there’s Birch, whose adolescence is etched into film history thanks to her roles in “American Beauty,” “Ghost World” and “Hocus Pocus.” Here, she makes an indelible impression as Lidia’s older sister, a character who feels like both warning and mirror.
Birch brings a weary resilience to her performance. She doesn’t beg for the audience’s empathy. In a sisterly scene Birch executes a quiet, unflinching, and heartbreak, something her character only reveals in faint and blurry reminders of her early life, how much she’s buried and how survival can look like silence. It’s a turn that hopefully will result in a triumphant new act for Birch, serving not just as a comeback, but as a new beginning.
However, in a two-hour drama, Birch has about 10 minutes of screen time. That’s a challenge in terms of getting awards recognition, but it doesn’t make her performance any less deserving.
Stewart’s achievement with “The Chronology of Water” is impressive. Her filmmaking is lyrical, assured and personal. She joins a growing tradition of actors who have made waves with their first directorial efforts.
Sean Penn’s “The Indian Runner” signaled his intent to tell stories with grit and compassion. Ben Affleck’s “Gone Baby Gone” surprised critics with its depth, eventually leading him to an Oscar triumph with “Argo.” And Jodie Foster’s “Little Man Tate” showed her versatility on screen extended behind the camera.
However, if Oscar history teaches us anything, the Academy, especially the directors branch, wants you to “pay your dues.” For every success story like Robert Redford with “Ordinary People,” Kevin Costner with “Dances with Wolves,” Jordan Peele with “Get Out,” and Emerald Fennell with “Promising Young Woman,” there are notable snubs like Regina King for “One Night in Miami” and Maggie Gyllenhaal for “The Lost Daughter.” There are also some actors turned directors who never connect with critics or audiences at all, such as Ryan Gosling’s stylish but divisive “Lost River” in 2014. Another A-lister, Scarlett Johansson, will also premiere her directorial debut, “Eleanor the Great” in Un Certain Regard this year.
Will Kristen Stewart be treated not just as a curiosity or a festival footnote, but as a serious filmmaker with voice, vision and verve. “The Chronology of Water” is not an easy film for awards voters to digest, and it’s not designed to be. But in its chaos and confession lies something urgently necessary, playing out like a Fiona Apple music video from the 1990’s (there’s an Apple track featured in the film). Like Lidia swimming her way through hell and memory, through abuse and desire, toward reclaiming the authorship of her own story, Stewart is asserting herself as an auteur to watch.
Acquisition teams, act accordingly.