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Kristen Stewart’s ‘The Chronology of Water’ Draws Strong Early Reviews in U.S. Theatrical Run

Critics single out Imogen Poots’s transformative lead turn alongside Stewart’s tactile 16mm, non-linear approach.

Overview

  • Stewart makes her feature directorial debut with an adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch’s 2011 memoir.
  • The Observer’s Feb. 6 review hails an ambitious, abrasive auteur statement, while the New Statesman on Feb. 5 calls the film “startlingly good.”
  • Reviews emphasize a fractured structure and memory-led design shot on textured 16mm, with comparisons to Terrence Malick’s visual language.
  • Imogen Poots’s performance as Lidia is widely praised as the film’s anchor, with credit also given to editor Olivia Neergaard-Holm and cinematographer Corey C. Waters.
  • The film is currently in U.S. cinemas after a 2025 Cannes premiere and a nationwide release in January 2026.