The Chronology of Water

A woman battles addiction and abuse in Kristen Stewart’s uncompromising depiction of love, trauma and artistic self-expression.

A journey through the sensuous and the sensual, Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut chronicles Lidia Yuknavitch’s life as she experiences and processes childhood abuse, first love, addiction and grief, led by a raw and magnetic performance by Imogen Poots.

Lidia (Poots) grows up in a dysfunctional home, with a sexually abusive father, but her passion for swimming brings her a chance for escape through a college scholarship. However, when she leaves home, she remains haunted by her past. Adapted by Stewart from the acclaimed memoir by Yuknavitch, The Chronology of Water is a poetic and unflinching exploration of identity, self-discovery and resilience, brought vividly to life through Stewart’s assured directorial vision, which combines grainy 16mm film, layered sounds and intimate narration to present a fragmented expression of Lidia’s internalised violence. Contains scenes of drug use, infant death, and sexual violence.