Kristen Stewart's The Chronology of Water Hits UK Cinemas January 9 2026

Film Feature by Chris Olson

The arrival of a major feature film directorial debut is always an event worthy of attention on the British cinematic calendar, but when that debut comes from an actor of Kristen Stewart’s unique trajectory, it demands closer inspection.

On January 9th, UK audiences will finally have the opportunity to engage with her powerful new picture, The Chronology of Water. Adapted by Stewart herself from the unflinching 2011 memoir by Lidia Yuknavitch, the film is a deeply personal, impressionistic, and often confrontational exploration of trauma, survival, and the cathartic transformation of anguish into art. This is not a star slumming it; this is a serious artist launching herself fully into the realm of auteur cinema.

Stewart’s career in the public eye has been one of fascinating evolution and constant self-redefinition. For millions, she will forever be known as Bella Swan, the human heroine of the multi-billion-dollar Twilight Saga franchise. Yet, to focus solely on that juggernaut of popular culture is to miss the far more compelling narrative of her post-fame choices.

Long before the vampires and werewolves, Stewart demonstrated her remarkable ability for nuanced, intense performance in films like David Fincher’s Panic Room and Sean Penn’s Into the Wild. The years following the end of Twilight saw her deliberately pivot away from Hollywood’s relentless machinery, favouring collaboration with distinctive auteurs from across the globe.

She became the first American actress to win a prestigious César Award (the French equivalent of an Oscar) for her magnetic turn in Olivier Assayas’s Clouds of Sils Maria. She cemented her status as a critical darling with Assayas again in the spectral thriller Personal Shopper, before delivering a career-defining performance as Diana, Princess of Wales, in Pablo Larraín’s surreal biographical drama Spencer, earning her an Academy Award nomination. This remarkable filmography—a catalogue of challenging roles and fearless artistic alliances—makes her move to the director’s chair feel less like a whim and more like an inevitable and welcome next stage.

The film trailer for Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut, The Chronology of Water, offers a potent and deliberately disorienting glimpse into the film’s unique approach to Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir. Far from a conventional theatrical preview, this footage immediately confirms that Stewart is pursuing a deeply aesthetic and psychological vision, much as her impressive acting career suggested she would. This is not a film that will hold the viewer's hand.

The overriding mood is one of fractured memory and intense emotionality, set against a backdrop of grainy, tactile 16mm cinematography. We hear Lidia (Imogen Poots) state early on, "that's not how I remember it, it's all a series of fragments," a line that acts as a mission statement for the trailer itself. The visuals are intimate, often unsettling, flicking between moments of self-destruction and the serene, blue escape found in competitive swimming. The element of water is central, shown not just as a physical refuge but as a symbolic, emotional space where Lidia can "surface with great force."

The trailer highlights Imogen Poots' raw and commanding performance, which grounds the film’s more experimental flourishes. She portrays the protagonist’s vulnerability and her defiance with equal measure, promising the kind of physically and emotionally demanding turn that defines an actor's year. We see fleeting cuts of key supporting players, including the welcome sight of Jim Belushi, who plays the legendary counter-culture figure Ken Kesey.

What the trailer excels at is establishing the thematic core: the transformation of painful history into narrative. We witness the protagonist's journey from a young woman haunted by her past—the voiceover observes that "no one is big enough to hold what happens to us"—to an artist capable of commanding her own story. The concluding voiceover is perhaps the most resonant: "memories are stories, so you better come up with one you can live with."

This is a powerful, uncompromising piece of marketing that sells the film’s artistic ambition, not its star power. It suggests that on January 9th, audiences will be treated not just to a drama, but a lyrical, visual poem on survival. It is a bold statement from a first-time director, demonstrating a confidence that should thrill any serious cinephile.