Kristen Stewart on Why The Chronology of Water Is ‘Like a Female Orgasm’

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Kristen Stewart staged a passionate outburst to kick off her directorial journey with the film “The Chronology of Water.” For eight years, she tirelessly persisted in bringing it to life despite facing setbacks such as changes in funding and cast members. She even threatened to stop acting until completion. With mere hours to spare before last night’s Cannes Film Festival premiere, she pushed through the final obstacles to get it done. Following a standing ovation, she humbly shared with the audience that she had finished the film “just in time” for the screening.

The outcome is a primal scream, gritty yet poetic, and an exceptional display of Imogen Poots as Lidia Yuknavitch, with Stewart having adapted the memoir of the same name for the screen. Chronology exhibits a complex narrative, both structurally and visually, experimenting with time, space, memory, and abundant bodily fluids – tears, spit, sweat, semen, urine, blood, vomit. This film delves into themes of pain and pleasure, abuse and addiction, love and sex, and the struggle of women to maintain their identity. I had a chance to converse with Stewart, adorned in Chanel and sporting a vibrant streak of pink in her blonde hair, on a terrace overlooking Cannes to discuss the intense process of creating this film, obtaining the rights to Fiona Apple’s songs, inventing a unique cinematic language, Poots’s strong presence, and the recent tattoos inspired by Chronology that Stewart received just before her arrival in France.

It’s a theme actually. I decided to incorporate a touch of the film into myself.

I was deeply touched by the movie, especially the choice of using Fiona Apple’s “For Her” at the end. Did you happen to write her a letter after seeing that?

How come you chose that song? Could you explain your reasoning behind it?

Her influence in my life is comparable to Lidia’s. Certain voices help us discover our own, and she is one of those. Our tastes are shaped by the people we encounter before us. Everything we consume influences or suppresses our impulses. I’ve absorbed and internalized all those albums, including this particular one. [Laughs.] This album was created in private, it feels like a secret. It sounds as if she’s banging on pots and pans. There’s a sense of Richter release and a maternal feeling. You just go, “Wow, thank you so much.” I think I said, “What’s yours is now mine.” Meaning, “I acknowledge these are your songs, but they’re also mine. They belong to this project, and I want to show that.” I expressed my appreciation for the space she occupies in the collective female unconscious. I feel as if I know her, even though we haven’t met. I believe I wrote a heartfelt letter. I was eager to obtain the songs, and it wasn’t just flattery. I admired her deeply.

It seems like you guys really should have a conversation about this. Last night at the premiere, you mentioned that you were still working on the movie just minutes before it was shown. Could it be possible that you were being slightly dramatic? However, let me clarify, I’m not finished yet. It’s quite amusing because people seem to believe we were merely adjusting the film. In reality, we were actually making the movie! We spent nine months editing it. I did take a brief pause to star in a movie titled The Wrong Girls , which was directed by my then-girlfriend, now wife, Dylan [Meyer].

Great job on the message!

“Cool news! That’s amazing. This movie is all about learning from experiences. It’s not just about Lidia Yuknavitch, or what happened to her specifically. Instead, it shows how our past experiences shape us and how we can reinterpret them to find meaning and purpose in life. It’s also about taking control of our desires and making choices for ourselves, since many of the things we want are taken away from us at a young age. Being a woman means dealing with a lot of violation, but this story is really about finding your own truth and redefining what’s real in a world that can feel so confusing and unstable.

It turns out that creating the movie required us to piece together various elements because it needed to have its own existence and memories. I didn’t want to simply replicate the book, so I had to generate distinct images that were fleeting rather than concrete. This meant we couldn’t plan as meticulously. Furthermore, my original plan was hijacked, and things took a turn for the worse during production. We were left navigating through the rough waters of the Mackenzie River, trying to recover from a chaotic shoot.

What happened?Oh my god. Dude. It’s crazy. We would need so much time.

Could you clarify the main points? Has there been any financial setback?

After working on it for nearly a decade, we’ve experienced an unforeseen disaster due to extreme weather conditions, affecting the entire team: cast, department heads, and crew members. It’s a challenging situation as we have lost our funding.

Were you constantly revising and refining throughout the process?

In essence, every part of the book underwent modifications at some point. I had to immerse myself deeply into each aspect to extract its essence. However, it also needed to evolve. My influence can be perceived in the movie, but it’s not a stranglehold. The film belongs to Imogen. We shot extensively so we could return home and instinctively, through memory, recognize connections. All of the fleeting moments in the movie where you think, “This feels familiar” – she exhibits an expression that triggers a recollection of another. Essentially, I aimed to breathe life into the movie so I could dissect it and create something that felt like a DMT journey, a repossession of the self through words. Instead, it could be phrased as: “Then her father hurt her, then drugs did, then the world did. No, no, no. This is about the truth, about what truly occurred. We all remember things differently. Learning to control that narrative has been something I’ve learned over time. It’s a film about salvation through art, but it’s also about the inner voice, the covert inner voice and the secrets we hide.

At present, there’s an unusual sense of unease discussing such matters due to our nation’s current fragility. If someone dares to approach what seems like a challenge, they should go all out – that’s the only way. I can’t help but feel vulnerable with actions like these.

hey there! as a cinephile, I can’t help but bring up the intriguing concept that Imogen Poots embodies – “Big Tit Energy.” Now, before you get the wrong idea, she doesn’t literally have large breasts. However, during our conversation about costumes and her character’s aging, it struck me how convincingly she portrays a range of ages from 17 to 40. It’s quite extraordinary!

What I mean by “Big Tit Energy” is that Imogen possesses an incredible amount of integrity, which was evident in our discussion about clothing choices and such. At one point, I expressed concern over her costume choice for a particular scene involving a bathing suit, thinking it might not be suitable. But they reminded me that both she and I share the same bra size! [Laughs.]

Despite this revelation, Imogen continues to embody a sense of raw, natural beauty – a lush, alive mammal, if you will. She’s like a forest animal or a killer whale in her pure, unadulterated essence. So in my mind, I imagine her with larger breasts than she actually has. It’s as if my brain is enhancing her image to fit this mental construct.

Did you make a comment about her having large breasts during costume fittings? In other words, when we were dealing with wardrobe and such, I jokingly said something like, “I thought you had big boobs, mate!” And she replied, “No!” That was the entire exchange. But now looking back, it’s quite amusing to me.

You asked the festival why they considered it the “biggest wound” of their career. This was because it was an incredibly challenging project that almost didn’t make it due to numerous setbacks, such as dropouts and unexpected events. The film faced a lot of adversity, which felt like it was being mistreated or disrespected. Each day of production felt like the movie was on the verge of collapse, causing the filmmaker to question if they had ruined it. However, upon completing the project and entering the editing phase, the filmmaker discovered that their efforts had yielded unexpected success. They were surprised by the level of support from their team, which ultimately led to a very successful outcome. The filmmaker was overwhelmed with the positive response and struggled to decide how best to present it all.

Eventually, the editing of the movie consumed a considerable amount of time, and I completed Dylan’s film afterward. As soon as that was done, there were requests like, “Could we submit this to Cannes?” At that point, I felt somewhat overwhelmed… [Laughs] …when asked, “How’s it going?” or “Did you get any work done?” I had missed seeing some friends for a while and just didn’t feel like discussing the project. However, the final touches were an enjoyable part of the process. Initially, it was expected to take six to nine weeks, but we managed to complete it in just two and a half weeks. Now, I need to return home to refine it further.

The originals of my references, which I reduced to low-resolution scans, are no longer available. They were created by various interns in Poland on a daily basis. Unfortunately, what remains is a poorly preserved, low-resolution version of the movie. However, it’s not the high-resolution version I desire; instead, it’s the vibrant, rainbow-like effect that was accidentally created when some kids tampered with my footage that truly captivated me. This kaleidoscopic rainbow was filtered through a foggy glass, giving it an Instagram-esque quality and a ’90s vibe, covered in a gritty texture. Despite its masculine tone, the movie didn’t have the dreamlike quality I associate with pink. Upon seeing this, I felt a wave of sadness wash over me, as if I was about to lose something precious. I was on the verge of tears and felt incredibly ill. Although it may seem self-aggrandizing, I can’t help but feel deeply affected by the situation.

Initially, I had high expectations for the film, but it seemed like it wasn’t living up to them throughout its creation. However, just when I was about to give up, it miraculously turned out differently… I was prepared to present a movie that didn’t meet my expectations. But the movie is not under my control; it has its own identity and connections with the world. I’m incredibly proud of it. It may need a few updates or adjustments, like a new outfit or a haircut. But ultimately, the movie is what it is, and showing it in its early stages feels rebellious and exciting. I can hardly believe we made it to Cannes before the film was fully completed. We took a risk by keeping it under wraps, but look at us now!

In your question, you referenced the concept of a feminine grammar of cinema that is yet to be written, which resonates with how Celine Sciamma discusses reinventing a feminine language for film. I’d like to explore your thoughts on uncovering this language and trusting in that voice.

To delve into the specifics, it seems that you faced challenges in convincing others about the enjoyment of your movie due to its unique structure and themes. This is similar to the experience of a female orgasm, where satisfaction comes after perseverance, with the anticipation building up before culmination.

Despite the movie’s length of 2 hours and 8 minutes, it carries a heavy message that demands attention. You asserted your belief in taking up space without compromising on the depth of your work. Moreover, you acknowledged the struggle and questioned whether it was worth continuing, with the phrase “Why” being significant enough to have it tattooed on your arm.

In essence, I am asking about your journey in finding and trusting this feminine language for film, as well as the challenges and rewards that came with it.

Did you understand it then?
Yes, the day before I boarded the plane, I was completely exhausted. We had just finished watching a movie, and in my haste, I exclaimed, “Regardless of anything else, our top priority is to find a woman who can give us three tattoos today!” The team is going to manage this one. [She indicates a tattoo that says “MINE” on her thigh.] 

What’s the interpretation of that scene? It’s when she does an unusual action by putting her hand to her nose, rubbing it on her arm, and says, “I didn’t know a girl’s body could do that. Shoot come.” Then this song, with lyrics like “Mine, mine, mine, mine,” starts playing, implying ownership or possession.

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2025-05-17 22:55