Kristen Stewart finally did it. After nearly a decade of "public temper tantrums"—her words, not mine—she pushed her directorial debut, The Chronology of Water, into the world. It premiered at Cannes 2025 and basically set the room on fire. People have this image of her as the moody girl from Twilight, but the reality is she’s been a student of the camera since she was nine years old.
She isn't just "trying out" a new hobby. Honestly, if you listen to her talk lately, she sounds like someone who’s been holding her breath for twenty years and just hit the surface.
The Long Road to The Chronology of Water
Making this movie was a nightmare for her. Let’s be real. It’s based on Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir, which is a brutal, beautiful, "unadaptable" mess of trauma, competitive swimming, and addiction. Investors weren't exactly lining up to fund a poetic film about incest and female ejaculation.
Stewart had to go to Latvia and Malta to shoot it over 32 days in 2024. She basically told Hollywood that if they wouldn't pay for it, she’d find someone who would. "I had to throw a public temper tantrum to get this done," she told interviewers at Cannes. It's that "aggressive helium" she talks about—this desperate need to get the stories out of her head before they pop.
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The movie stars Imogen Poots, and if the reviews are any indication, Poots is a revelation. Stewart knew she couldn't play Lidia herself; she needed to be the one watching through the lens. The film is shot on 16mm, giving it this grainy, tactile, "crackling wind" feeling. It’s not a standard biopic. It doesn’t follow a neat timeline because, as Stewart argues, memory doesn't work that way. It's fluid. It's water.
Why Kristen Stewart as Director is Actually a Big Deal
A lot of actors jump into the director’s chair and make something safe. Something "actorly." Stewart did the opposite. She went for something radical and, frankly, a bit polarizing.
- The Style: It’s impressionistic. Think less Twilight and more Lynne Ramsay (Morvern Callar).
- The Influences: She cites a list of 24 films as her "bible," including works by Agnès Varda and Catherine Breillat.
- The Courage: She didn't shy away from the "gross" parts of being a human. The film is full of blood, sweat, and vomit. It’s raw.
She recently mentioned in a podcast that she’s ready to "drop out of everything" she’s currently attached to just to focus on her next three directing projects. That’s a massive statement from an Oscar-nominated actress at the top of her game. She’s raring to go. She wants to be the one doing the hiring now.
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The Twilight Remake Rumors
Then there’s the Twilight thing. Everyone lost their minds when she said she’d "absolutely" consider directing a remake. People thought she was joking, but she seemed weirdly committed.
"Imagine if we had a huge budget and a bunch of love and support," she said at the Palm Springs Film Festival in early 2026. She loves the "squirrelly" energy of the original films. While it’s probably not happening tomorrow, the fact that she’s even thinking about it shows how much her perspective has shifted. She doesn't see herself as Bella anymore. She sees herself as the person pulling the strings.
What’s Next for Kristen Stewart?
Right now, she's in a "fill the well" phase. She’s been through the craziest year of her life—got married, went to Cannes, released her movie. She’s taking a beat to breathe before she tackles the next three "helium balloons."
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If you're looking to follow her journey as a filmmaker, here is the reality of where she stands in early 2026:
- The Chronology of Water is currently hitting wider release (January 2026 in the US, February 2026 in the UK). Go see it if you have a stomach for heavy, artistic cinema.
- She is actively looking for her next script. She’s mentioned having a couple of ideas she’s "dying" to start.
- Expect her to be more selective with acting roles. She’s literally said she wants to "detach" from acting commitments to stay behind the camera.
Kristen Stewart isn't an actress who directs on the side. She’s a director who happened to be a famous actress first. If The Chronology of Water is the baseline, her future work is going to be loud, messy, and impossible to ignore. Keep an eye on the indie festival circuits; that’s where she’s building her real legacy now.