{"id":1758787,"date":"2026-02-06T13:24:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T10:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1758787"},"modified":"2026-02-06T13:24:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T10:24:00","slug":"kristen-stewart-women-often-operate-from-a-place-of-shame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1758787","title":{"rendered":"Kristen Stewart: \u2018Women often operate from a place of shame\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-0-2200-1466\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436244.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/film-tv\/article\/69548\/1\/kristen-stewart-chronology-of-water-director-debut-interview\" data-article-id=\"69548\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.5\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Chronology of Water\" class=\"img\" height=\"1467\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1400\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436244.jpg\" width=\"2200\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">The Chronology <span class=\"nowrap\">of Water<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-02-06T13:24:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"06 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"6\">6,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - film-tv\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\">Film &amp; TV<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/q-and-a\">Q+A<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\">Film &amp; TV<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/q-and-a\">Q+A<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>Kristen Stewart: \u2018Women often operate from a place <span class=\"nowrap\">of shame\u2019<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>The actress speaks to Christina Newland about her bold and ambitious directorial debut, The Chronology <span class=\"nowrap\">of Water<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-06T13:24:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"06 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"6\">6,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-06T13:24:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"06 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"6\">6,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/ChristinaNewland\">Christina Newland<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-11-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">The Chronology <span class=\"nowrap\">of Water<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36624\/0\/the-chronology-of-water\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Chronology of Water\" class=\"img\" height=\"1466\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2200-1466\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436243.jpg\" width=\"2200\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36624\/1\/the-chronology-of-water\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Chronology of Water\" class=\"img\" height=\"1466\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2200-1466\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436244.jpg\" width=\"2200\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36624\/2\/the-chronology-of-water\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Chronology of Water\" class=\"img\" height=\"1466\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2200-1466\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436245.jpg\" width=\"2200\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36624\/3\/the-chronology-of-water\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Chronology of Water\" class=\"img\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436246.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36624\/4\/the-chronology-of-water\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Chronology of Water\" class=\"img\" height=\"1189\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1783-1189\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436247.jpg\" width=\"1783\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36624\/5\/the-chronology-of-water\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Chronology of Water\" class=\"img\" height=\"1687\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2530-1687\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436248.jpg\" width=\"2530\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 11 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Insouciant, fast-talking and tired-eyed after a late night at last May\u2019s Cannes Film Festival, actress <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/kristen-stewart\">Kristen Stewart <\/a>was passionate in her discussion of long-gestating passion project <em>The Chronology of Water. <\/em>Based on writer and former champion swimmer Lidia Yuknavitch\u2019s 2011 memoir of the same name, Stewart\u2019s debut directorial feature explores sexual abuse, trauma, and the effort to live a creative, fulfilled, and embodied life in a female body.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Telling of Yuknavitch\u2019s abusive childhood in 1980s Florida, her hedonistic personal life, and her eventual route to literary success, the film is deft, poetic and often harrowing. Imogen Poots stars as Yuknavitch, while Thora Birch is her heartbreakingly solemn older sister. Stewart\u2019s film has a lyricism, brutality, and feminist anger that coalesce wonderfully for a first-time director. Far from a didactic screed or a faint-hearted biopic, <em>The Chronology of Water<\/em> feels like a true artistic statement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>We caught up with Stewart to discuss her creative process, working with Imogen Poots, and taking advice from Sofia Coppola.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>How has reading Lidia Yuknavitch\u2019s book been something that has helped you to identify yourself as an artist?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Kristen Stewart: <\/strong>The book is kind of like this haunted house. The things that happen to this character are extreme, but the things that happen to us in a pervasive sense \u2013 the squashing-down of voice and pushing down of natural instincts that women have to do \u2013 the amount of thievery and violation, even if it\u2019s not literal \u2013 it\u2019s there all of the time. Sometimes there are films or books or even a conversation that lead you to understand that you\u2019re not listening to yourself the way you should be. When I read this book [&#8230;] it\u2019s like a life-saving piece of material. A flotation device.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This book is like the keys to your own castle. I thought when I read it, that if I had this relationship to it, that I couldn\u2019t be alone, that it needed to be alive. If you\u2019re reading a book, it takes a long time. You do it in your head. But I wanted to do it out loud. I wanted to do this with other people.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"YVwSJSHenMY\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YVwSJSHenMY\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>How was it to adapt the novel and to try to really capture the inside of someone\u2019s mind in this way?\u00a0 It\u2019s difficult to access interiority like this.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Kristen Stewart: <\/strong>The movie needed to have its own life. It\u2019s not a movie about what happened to Lidia Yuknavitch. It\u2019s about writing. It\u2019s about the way you contextualise your life inside your body, repossessing the things that happened to you, and defining them on your own terms so you can come to acceptance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It took eight years to make this. And halfway through, I thought we\u2019d lost the movie. I just felt like I was being sucked dry. But I realised when I got back from the shoot, there were all these little gifts, and it was like [&#8230;] once everything was laid out, it was like doing a jigsaw puzzle. There was an emotional connectivity. But I think if I had executed the script in an exacting way, it would have been trite.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s very intentionally fragmented and elliptical in its style. How was the editing process for you?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Kristen Stewart:<\/strong>\u00a0Well, I made too much movie. But the only way to make something feel like a distillation is to have too much and reduce it, and then it feels like this concentrated, potent dose of something. I came home and put all my pieces on the table, and there were emotional through-lines and connections and sense memories that pointed very clearly to the cuts. It was obvious what needed to happen, even if it took a while to put the jigsaw pieces together. I never wanted it to feel too smart and too precious. But I think I wanted to strangle it, but I wasn\u2019t strong enough. Thank god.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>It took eight years to make this. And halfway through, I thought we\u2019d lost the movie<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>How much do you identify with the main character?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Kristen Stewart: <\/strong> Well, she is all of us in a way. Women have a concave nature, we receive. It\u2019s an inherent physical difference we have. And we have God, the Father, the Psychiatrist, the Director: they\u2019re all men. We open ourselves up and hope to receive. And if you take the wrong things into your body, they will fucking kill you. It\u2019s about the space women occupy, and how we often operate from a place of shame, and squash that little voice we know we should listen to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>As a debut director, were there any mentors or industry people who gave advice or guidance to you that you treasured?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Kristen Stewart: <\/strong> Yeah, dude. I spoke to Pablo Larrain when I was about to make a chaotic last-minute decision that could have really sunk us. For the rest of the movie, I had his voice in my head saying: keep it together. I fucking love him. Sofia Coppola read the screenplay and told me not to rely so much on voiceover \u2013 that images will find a connection to other images. She gave me really good, writerly advice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"11c10e24-0c3a-4aa4-b901-b3e601262b11\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436251.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.78\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Chronology of Water\" class=\"img\" height=\"1687\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436251.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">The Chronology <span class=\"nowrap\">of Water<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>Can you tell me about Imogen Poots and what she brings to this performance?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Kristen Stewart:<\/strong> She really had skin in the game. She\u2019s been acting as long as I have, and therefore, there are certain safeguards and walls she has to protect the more tender parts of herself. But we both looked at each other and went: I want to let it out. It sounds weird, like we made a sports movie, but she actually got two hernias making this movie. After we finished the movie, she told me. I was like \u2013 \u2018you\u2019re fucking out of your mind, why didn\u2019t you tell me?\u2019 She said she didn\u2019t want me to pull the leash. Imogen is so smart and capable, and she really is this whole movie.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>And are you happy with the finished result?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Kristen Stewart: <\/strong>I love the movie now. But for a minute I thought that I\u2019d ruined it. But I\u2019ve done everything in public my whole life, so it was like: <em>well, I guess everyone\u2019s going to see it.<\/em> Taking it to festivals and having these conversations is great. It\u2019s a bizarre film. It\u2019s like watching your kid go to school after cutting her hair weird, but then everyone loves it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. 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big\u2019<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"swiper-slide list-element\">\n<div class=\"scard-latest__section\">\n<div class=\"card-latest__wrapper\"><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/article\/69362\/1\/ben-whishaw-peter-hujar-day-photography-still-resonates-ira-sachs\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Peter Hujar Day Ben Whishaw\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/371-133-2279-1516\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/3\/1433862.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Ben Whishaw on the power of Peter Hujar\u2019s photography: \u2018It feels alive\u2019<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" 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British actors \u2013 Winter 2025\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/357-78-1088-724\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/3\/1433254.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Meet the new generation of British actors reshaping Hollywood <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-11-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">The Chronology <span class=\"nowrap\">of Water<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36624\/0\/the-chronology-of-water\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Chronology of Water\" class=\"img\" height=\"1466\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2200-1466\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436243.jpg\" width=\"2200\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36624\/1\/the-chronology-of-water\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Chronology of Water\" class=\"img\" height=\"1466\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2200-1466\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436244.jpg\" width=\"2200\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36624\/2\/the-chronology-of-water\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Chronology of Water\" class=\"img\" height=\"1466\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2200-1466\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436245.jpg\" width=\"2200\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36624\/3\/the-chronology-of-water\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Chronology of Water\" class=\"img\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436246.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36624\/4\/the-chronology-of-water\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Chronology of Water\" class=\"img\" height=\"1189\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1783-1189\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436247.jpg\" width=\"1783\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36624\/5\/the-chronology-of-water\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Chronology of Water\" class=\"img\" height=\"1687\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2530-1687\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436248.jpg\" width=\"2530\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 11 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Insouciant, fast-talking and tired-eyed after a late night at last May\u2019s Cannes Film Festival, actress <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/kristen-stewart\">Kristen Stewart <\/a>was passionate in her discussion of long-gestating passion project <em>The Chronology of Water. <\/em>Based on writer and former champion swimmer Lidia Yuknavitch\u2019s 2011 memoir of the same name, Stewart\u2019s debut directorial feature explores sexual abuse, trauma, and the effort to live a creative, fulfilled, and embodied life in a female body.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Telling of Yuknavitch\u2019s abusive childhood in 1980s Florida, her hedonistic personal life, and her eventual route to literary success, the film is deft, poetic and often harrowing. Imogen Poots stars as Yuknavitch, while Thora Birch is her heartbreakingly solemn older sister. Stewart\u2019s film has a lyricism, brutality, and feminist anger that coalesce wonderfully for a first-time director. Far from a didactic screed or a faint-hearted biopic, <em>The Chronology of Water<\/em> feels like a true artistic statement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>We caught up with Stewart to discuss her creative process, working with Imogen Poots, and taking advice from Sofia Coppola.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>How has reading Lidia Yuknavitch\u2019s book been something that has helped you to identify yourself as an artist?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Kristen Stewart: <\/strong>The book is kind of like this haunted house. The things that happen to this character are extreme, but the things that happen to us in a pervasive sense \u2013 the squashing-down of voice and pushing down of natural instincts that women have to do \u2013 the amount of thievery and violation, even if it\u2019s not literal \u2013 it\u2019s there all of the time. Sometimes there are films or books or even a conversation that lead you to understand that you\u2019re not listening to yourself the way you should be. When I read this book [&#8230;] it\u2019s like a life-saving piece of material. A flotation device.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This book is like the keys to your own castle. I thought when I read it, that if I had this relationship to it, that I couldn\u2019t be alone, that it needed to be alive. If you\u2019re reading a book, it takes a long time. You do it in your head. But I wanted to do it out loud. I wanted to do this with other people.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"YVwSJSHenMY\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YVwSJSHenMY\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>How was it to adapt the novel and to try to really capture the inside of someone\u2019s mind in this way?\u00a0 It\u2019s difficult to access interiority like this.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Kristen Stewart: <\/strong>The movie needed to have its own life. It\u2019s not a movie about what happened to Lidia Yuknavitch. It\u2019s about writing. It\u2019s about the way you contextualise your life inside your body, repossessing the things that happened to you, and defining them on your own terms so you can come to acceptance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It took eight years to make this. And halfway through, I thought we\u2019d lost the movie. I just felt like I was being sucked dry. But I realised when I got back from the shoot, there were all these little gifts, and it was like [&#8230;] once everything was laid out, it was like doing a jigsaw puzzle. There was an emotional connectivity. But I think if I had executed the script in an exacting way, it would have been trite.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s very intentionally fragmented and elliptical in its style. How was the editing process for you?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Kristen Stewart:<\/strong>\u00a0Well, I made too much movie. But the only way to make something feel like a distillation is to have too much and reduce it, and then it feels like this concentrated, potent dose of something. I came home and put all my pieces on the table, and there were emotional through-lines and connections and sense memories that pointed very clearly to the cuts. It was obvious what needed to happen, even if it took a while to put the jigsaw pieces together. I never wanted it to feel too smart and too precious. But I think I wanted to strangle it, but I wasn\u2019t strong enough. Thank god.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>It took eight years to make this. And halfway through, I thought we\u2019d lost the movie<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>How much do you identify with the main character?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Kristen Stewart: <\/strong> Well, she is all of us in a way. Women have a concave nature, we receive. It\u2019s an inherent physical difference we have. And we have God, the Father, the Psychiatrist, the Director: they\u2019re all men. We open ourselves up and hope to receive. And if you take the wrong things into your body, they will fucking kill you. It\u2019s about the space women occupy, and how we often operate from a place of shame, and squash that little voice we know we should listen to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>As a debut director, were there any mentors or industry people who gave advice or guidance to you that you treasured?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Kristen Stewart: <\/strong> Yeah, dude. I spoke to Pablo Larrain when I was about to make a chaotic last-minute decision that could have really sunk us. For the rest of the movie, I had his voice in my head saying: keep it together. I fucking love him. Sofia Coppola read the screenplay and told me not to rely so much on voiceover \u2013 that images will find a connection to other images. She gave me really good, writerly advice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"11c10e24-0c3a-4aa4-b901-b3e601262b11\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436251.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.78\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Chronology of Water\" class=\"img\" height=\"1687\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436251.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">The Chronology <span class=\"nowrap\">of Water<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>Can you tell me about Imogen Poots and what she brings to this performance?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Kristen Stewart:<\/strong> She really had skin in the game. She\u2019s been acting as long as I have, and therefore, there are certain safeguards and walls she has to protect the more tender parts of herself. But we both looked at each other and went: I want to let it out. It sounds weird, like we made a sports movie, but she actually got two hernias making this movie. After we finished the movie, she told me. I was like \u2013 \u2018you\u2019re fucking out of your mind, why didn\u2019t you tell me?\u2019 She said she didn\u2019t want me to pull the leash. Imogen is so smart and capable, and she really is this whole movie.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>And are you happy with the finished result?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Kristen Stewart: <\/strong>I love the movie now. But for a minute I thought that I\u2019d ruined it. But I\u2019ve done everything in public my whole life, so it was like: <em>well, I guess everyone\u2019s going to see it.<\/em> Taking it to festivals and having these conversations is great. It\u2019s a bizarre film. It\u2019s like watching your kid go to school after cutting her hair weird, but then everyone loves it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/article\/69548\/1\/kristen-stewart-chronology-of-water-director-debut-interview&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-0-2200-1466\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436244.jpg&#8221;] The Chronology of Water February\u00a0 6,\u00a0 2026 Film &amp; TV \/ Q+A Film &amp; TV \/ Q+A Kristen Stewart: \u2018Women often operate from a place of shame\u2019 The actress speaks to Christina Newland about her bold and ambitious directorial debut, The Chronology of Water February\u00a0 6,\u00a0 2026 February\u00a0 6,\u00a0 2026 TextChristina Newland [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1758787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1758787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1758787"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1758787\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1758787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1758787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1758787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}