Kristen Stewart isn’t exactly known for doing things the easy way. You know her. The girl who went from the biggest franchise on the planet to playing a haunted personal shopper in France and an aging Diana in a lonely castle. But right now, the conversation isn’t just about her acting. People are buzzing about Kristen Stewart and the director—specifically, her transition from being the face in front of the lens to the mind behind it.
She’s officially a filmmaker now.
Her debut feature, The Chronology of Water, just hit the festival circuit and select theaters, and honestly? It’s kind of a lot. It’s not the "safe" indie debut your publicist would recommend. It’s a raw, jagged adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir that deals with heavy-duty trauma, swimming, and the weird way memory fragments when life gets messy.
Why Everyone Is Talking About The Chronology of Water
Most actors make a movie and it feels like... an actor making a movie. It’s usually a nice, linear story with good lighting. Stewart didn't do that. She spent years—literally since 2018—scrapping for the financing to make this specific, difficult film. She’s gone on record saying she didn't want to make something "tiny." She wanted to make a "tiny little movie that doesn't seem tiny."
Basically, she’s obsessed with the "avant-garde being commercial."
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The film stars Imogen Poots, and early reviews from its 2025 Cannes premiere were pretty intense. We're talking a six-and-a-half-minute standing ovation. That’s not just polite clapping; that’s the industry realizing she actually knows how to use a camera. She didn't just show up and point. She co-wrote the screenplay with Andy Mingo and fought through several production delays to get it right.
The Rose Glass Connection
Before she was a director herself, Stewart had a massive 2024 working with director Rose Glass on Love Lies Bleeding. If you haven't seen it, it’s a sweaty, neon-soaked thriller about a reclusive gym manager and a bodybuilder.
Working with Glass seemed to be a turning point for Stewart. You could see the influence. Glass is known for being "visceral"—a word she apparently used constantly on set. Stewart took that energy. When she moved into directing her own feature, she kept that same "no-flinch" policy. She isn't interested in making audiences comfortable.
The Reality of Being Kristen Stewart and the Director
There’s this weird misconception that being a massive star makes directing easy. It doesn't. Not when you're trying to make an R-rated (or NR, depending on the cut) movie about sexual experimentation and childhood abuse.
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- Financing was a nightmare. She actually went to Cannes years ago just to find money, basically telling investors she wouldn't leave until they cut a check.
- The Latvia Shoot. Most of the movie was shot in Latvia and Malta over six weeks in mid-2024. Not exactly the glitz of Hollywood.
- The Casting. She chose Imogen Poots over bigger names because she needed someone who could handle the "primal scream" nature of the role.
She's been gunning for this for a long time. People forget she directed a short film called Come Swim back in 2017. She’s been studying this. She’s been watching how directors like Olivier Assayas and David Cronenberg work, and she’s clearly been taking notes.
What’s Next for Stewart?
Now that The Chronology of Water is out (it hit U.S. wide release in January 2026), she’s actually talking about... Twilight. Sorta.
In a recent interview, she joked about being open to directing a Twilight remake. Imagine that. The person who lived through the "Bella Swan" phenomenon being the one to reinvent it with a massive budget and a weird, indie lens. She’s "committed" to the idea, though she also says she needs to "fizz out" and "fill the well" after a crazy 2025.
She got married to Dylan Meyer. She premiered her movie. She watched her wife make a movie. It’s been a lot.
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What This Means for You (The Viewer)
If you’re looking for a breezy Friday night watch, The Chronology of Water probably isn't it. It’s fragmented. It slips back and forth in time. It reflects the way trauma actually feels—disorienting and loud.
But if you want to see what happens when a seasoned actor finally gets to say what’s on their mind without a script written by someone else, this is the blueprint. Stewart is proving that you can bridge the gap between "movie star" and "auteur" without losing your soul in the process.
Next Steps for the Savvy Film Fan:
- Watch the Shorts: Check out her 2017 short Come Swim to see her early visual style.
- Read the Source: Lidia Yuknavitch’s The Chronology of Water is a brutal, beautiful read that explains why Stewart was so obsessed with it.
- Follow the Festivals: Keep an eye on the 2026 awards circuit. Even though it's "small," the buzz around Poots and Stewart’s direction is growing.