The Chronology of Water Review – Brilliant Directorial Debut, Exceptional Story Driven Performances
- Details
- Category: Haute This Issue
- Published on Thursday, 20 November 2025 13:40
- Written by Janet Walker
The Chronology of Water, from Forge, recently screened at AFI FEST, presents the story of abuse and recovery, as a young, dedicated swimmer, suddenly falls into the abyss when her life derails as she copes with her abusive past.
The first act of the film sets the foundation for the film, as we meet the young Lidia, played by Anna Wittowsky, a dedicated swimmer, and her older sister, Claudia, played by Marlena Sneiga. At this point Claudia is the target of her father abuse, played by Michael Epp, and as she is older she runs to escape his abuse.
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By the time Lidia prepares to go to college, now played by Imogen Poots, she is a champion swimmer, hoping to secure a scholarship. Her father, who is more than controlling, opens each envelope, and reads the offers. As none offered her a full ride, he rejects each one. Finally, she is offered a full ride and escapes.
College offers more than an escape for Lidia, it offers her the opportunity to explore each hidden desire, taboo, and restriction that had been placed on her life. And she willingly obliges the darkest of whims as they arise with a growing intensity. As she falls into the deep end of a never ending cycle of wild abandonment, hypersexuality, extreme drug use, nameless faceless partners, she loses her edge and loses her scholarship.
Suddenly, she is without direction, pregnant, and she and the baby's father decide to marry. This is when Claudia, now played by Thora Birch, returns to her life. The marriage fails, and the onslaught of demonic rage that have hooked themselves to her, even with the baby it is not enough to stop the self-destructive behaviors. The baby is still born.
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This, of course, clutches her and pulls her violently into a darkened abyss. Even in her moments of clarity, she has decided to be a writer, and of course, brilliant minds throughout history have told those who profess to write, that writer's write. So, as Lidia is told to write what she knows, she digs into the darkest of chambers and begins to regurgitate poignant stories, skillfully, even in her untaught state, skimming the surface so not to awaken the demons that have thankfully been silent for a moment.
Then she, through a colleague, meets Ken Kesey, played by Jim Belushi, who sees in her an ability that many have denied, and her deeply troubled past, is treated with compassion. Through him she is praised for her work, and even though they live the typical 1960s life of LSD Acid Test parties, he enforces strict writing rules. In their final scene together, we see him put him arm around her, and her reaction, and then he gently pats her shoulder. We understand her signals from years of abuse are so shattered, it is as if the mental signals in her mind are destroyed and she is unable to decipher the differences in the touch. She is beginning the long road of recovery and the gaps in her thinking are slowly being repaired.
For Lidia, even though she may have thought she hit the bottom and was now on the way back up the other side, she is still haunted by the past and hunted by the unknown demons that seek to maintain a stranglehold upon those who have a chance to tell their story, shining light into those dark, hidden, and unspeakable places where abuse still hods that child captive with debilitating fear, and incapacitation.
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This ushers in the last portion of the film, as we who have traveled this self-destructive road with her we hope that she finally finds the motivation, to use the momentum to conquer the demons that, like parasites have burrowed themselves into her, and find lasting peace.
The directorial debut from Kristen Stewart, The Chronology of Water, is captivating, and Stewart, who as the keeper of the story, moves the story from frenzied chaos to a quiet calm, with each presenting an authentic image of the varying shades of many childhood trauma victims as they travel the road to recovery.
Imogen Poots delivers an outstanding and realistic performance. She gives a convincing, true-to-life, portrayal, as she fights the childhood memories and the inner demons that rise with a fury to devour, derail, and destroy. The ensemble cast including Thora Birch, Michael Epp, Esme Allen, and Jim Belushi bring poignant depictions this challenging and pivotal story.
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The Chronology of Water is overt, in your face, and doesn't mask the results of childhood trauma in a life, and that can be repugnant to some, as hypersexuality, along with excessive drug and alcohol use, is vividly presented.
While the film may not be considered typical entertainment, or even entertaining to some, the story is one that should be repeatedly pushed into the forefront of the national conversation as abusers never seem to suffer the penalties for their intentional injuries.
The Chronology of Water, a shocking and arresting film, opens in theaters December 5, 2025, in select markets, and will have a wide release beginning January 9, 2026. See it.
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Country: U.S.
Language: English.
Runtime: 128 minutes.
Release Date: December 5, 2025/January 9, 2026.
Director: Kristen Stewart.
Producer: Rebecca Feuer, Charles Gillibert, Maggie McLean, Dylan Meyer, Andy Mingo, Michael Pruss, Svetlana Punte, Ridley Scott, Kristen Stewart, Yulia Zayceva.
Executive Producer: Scott Aharoni, Melanie Biessy, Chris Cooper, Sinan Eczacibasi, Daniel John Goldberg, Abigail Honor, Patrick Sutter, Christian Vesper, Yan Vizinberg, Metin Alihan Yalcindag.
Writer: Kristen Stewart, Andy Mingo, based on the memoir of the same name by Lidia Yuknavitch.
Cast: Imogen Poots, Thora Birch, Jim Belushi, Tom Sturridge, Michael Epp, Esme Allen, Charlie Carrick, Earl Cave, Jeremy Ang Jones, Kim Gordon, Susannah Flood, Anna Wittowsky, Marlena Sniega, Hal Weaver, Dominik Gabriel Roseti, Eleanor Hahn, Peter Rundle, Julienne Restall, Freddy Kattumath James, Jeffrey Grinvalds.
Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade. A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has also published "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," and "Days, Times, Seasons, and Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.
