The Chronology of Water
Lidia Yuknavitch's (Imogen Poots, "The Father," "Hedda") dreams of becoming an Olympic swimmer were upended by her own self destructive behavior, drug and alcohol abuse the self medicating path she stumbled onto after years of psychological and sexual abuse by her father, Mike (Michael Epp, "The Beekeeper"), abuse her alcoholic mother Dorothy (Susannah Flood) failed to stop and which her older sister, Claudia (Thora Birch, "Ghost World"), escaped from. But a collaborative literary course with 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' author Ken Kesey (Jim Belushi, "Song Sung Blue") at the University of Oregon lit a new path for Lidia, who would recount her tumultuous past in her memoir, "The Chronology of Water."
Laura's Review: A-
Kristen Stewart makes an audaciously impressive filmmaking debut adapting Lidia Yuknavitch's novel, illustrating her protagonist's state of mind with fractured, impressionistic imagery which gradually settles into more linear storytelling as Lidia gains control over her life. The writer/director has also found the perfect collaborator in Poots, who navigates emotional states from cowed insecurity to outrageous rebelliousness, her character's pain always visible just beneath the surface.
Stewart uses water throughout her film, beginning with it washing blood down a shower drain, Lidia kneeling, sobbing, in a scene that will come into focus later. We will see close-ups of a bruised eye, a bloody hand, river stones and the adult Lidia in a tub, her sister hugging her from behind, then both of them younger (Anna Wittowsky and Marlena Sniega) as Poots suggests in voiced over narration to find a memory you can live with.
The early ones are not those, Stewart giving us suggestive glimpses of a controlling father who tears down his daughter's self image as she makes waves in competitive swimming, dismissing scholarships from Notre Dame and Perdue as unserious because they are not 'full rides.' A snowy trip to a holiday tree farm is torturous, Mike insisting his daughters enjoy the scenery he is driving through before demanding Claudia accompany him into the woods, their return without a tree telling us everything. Without showing us anything explicit, Stewart makes it clear Mike's abuse was passed down to his younger daughter as well. A teenaged Lidia will gaze at her mother, zoned out in a chair, telling us 'I almost loved her.' Finally the young woman confronts her father in the garage and breaks free, heading to college in Texas. She will flunk out of the swim team because of her boozing and drugging but enchant the sensitive Phillip (Earl Cave, "True History of the Kelly Gang"), who stays by her side and marries her despite her self loathing, abusive behavior towards him (she asks for his forgiveness from the future). But a miscarriage (that early shower scene) will hit her hard emotionally and she decides to leave Phillip, moving in with the guarded Claudia.
Kesey's encouragement opens a door for Lidia, whose frank writing about her father makes many uncomfortable but evinces considerable talent. Mike even shows up for one of her live readings, recognizing himself but impressed by Kesey's mentorship. But Lidia is still searching, freeing herself with two women during a sexually charged getaway, experimenting in sessions with a BDSM photographer (Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon), then falling into another ill-fated marriage to destructive performance artist Devin (Tom Sturridge, "Widow Clicquot") which obstructs her writing. Mike shows signs of dementia. A drunk driving accident involving a pregnant woman is a shock to the system and Lidia, single again, emerges as a teacher to others.
The healing power of water comes into play once again, Lidia accompanied by one of her students, Andy (Charlie Carrick, "The Apprentice"), at her pool feeling comfortable enough to talk about her father's abuse. Andy shows nothing but kindness and will become Lidia's third husband and father of her children, the family seen on a raft in a lake, Lidia swimming with her child, finally happy. She is also full of grace, accepting Mike, now in the serious throes of dementia, into her home to be cared for, an inconceivable act for many occasioned by her newfound security. Lidia has found her home.
Stewart conducts the 16mm cinematography by Corey C. Waters with Olivia Neergard-Holm's editing and Poots' performance to a crescendo, suggestions of sexual abuse and illustrations of emotional abuse turned inside out into self destruction climaxing into calm, like churning rapids pouring into a placid pool. It's a deft balancing act and the overall effect is haunting, a gut wrenching portrait of trauma and its psychological fallout evolving into a healed human being through art. Some may find the fledgling filmmaker's methods overwrought, but she has a strong vision and her gradual modulation of her film's jittery tempo is in keeping with her subject's mental state. "The Chronology of Water" is a powerful journey through abuse, healing and forgiveness.
Robin's Review: B
The Forge releases "The Chronology of Water" in select theaters on 1/9/26, expanding on 1/16/26. It had an awards qualifying run in NY on 12/5/25.
