“The Chronology of Water”: Kristen Stewart’s Bold Directorial Debut Could Spark Awards Buzz for Jim Belushi and Thora Birch

Kristen Stewart is making a statement — loud, lyrical, and unflinchingly personal.

The Oscar-nominated star of Spencer steps confidently behind the camera with her feature directorial debut, The Chronology of Water, which premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Adapted from Lidia Yuknavitch’s raw and poetic memoir, the film tells the story of a woman’s journey through trauma, addiction, identity, and creative rebirth. Stewart not only directs but also pens the screenplay, infusing the adaptation with a visceral, dreamlike intensity that is uniquely her own.

The film’s emotional core is anchored by a revelatory lead performance from Imogen Poots as Lidia — a former Olympic-level swimmer turned struggling writer — but it’s the supporting turns from Jim Belushi and Thora Birch that give the story a haunting depth. Their performances, though brief, serve as emotional anchors in this tale of generational wounds and self-reclamation.

Stylistically, Stewart’s approach is daring. Think The Basketball Diaries meets Terrence Malick’s ethereal visuals, with echoes of Jim Jarmusch’s introspective cool. The result is a film that defies formula, favoring impression over exposition, intuition over convention — and that’s what makes it sing. It’s an uncompromising female perspective on survival, ownership of the body, and the blurry line between memory and myth.

Jim Belushi, in one of the most transformative roles of his career, plays Ken Kesey, the legendary writer known for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Here, he’s reimagined as a faded literary professor weighed down by personal loss and unspoken regrets. Best known for sitcoms and affable everyman roles, Belushi subverts expectations completely. He is weary, haunted, almost spectral — a man who once had brilliance but now lives in its shadow. His performance is subdued, complex, and quietly devastating. A standout second-act monologue, shared with Poots’ Lidia, is a masterclass in restrained emotional power.

Likewise, Thora Birch makes a lasting impression as Lidia’s older sister — a woman carrying her own legacy of silence and endurance. Birch, whose career spans from American Beauty to Ghost World, brings to this role a stoic vulnerability. She doesn’t plead for sympathy, but her presence lingers. In just a few scenes, she paints a portrait of survival defined by quietness and buried pain. It’s a comeback performance that could easily mark a new artistic chapter for the actress.

Yet awards recognition might be elusive. With roughly 10 minutes of screen time, Birch’s role may fall into the frustrating category of “too small to nominate, too powerful to ignore.” Still, her impact is undeniable.

Stewart, for her part, directs with remarkable clarity and conviction. She joins a growing group of actors-turned-directors whose debuts made waves — from Sean Penn (The Indian Runner), to Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone), to Jodie Foster (Little Man Tate). But the road to awards recognition isn’t easy, especially for debuting directors. For every Jordan Peele (Get Out) or Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman), there’s a Regina King (One Night in Miami) or Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Lost Daughter) who went overlooked.

Also debuting at Cannes this year is Scarlett Johansson with Eleanor the Great, which shares the same Un Certain Regard spotlight.

Will Stewart be embraced as more than just a curious headline or a festival darling? That remains to be seen. But The Chronology of Water is not built for easy praise — it demands emotional surrender. It plays like a visual confessional — chaotic, fearless, and bruised — as if Fiona Apple had directed a feature-length memory of survival.

Stewart, like Lidia, is asserting authorship over her own narrative. In doing so, she announces herself as a true auteur with something to say — and a voice impossible to ignore.

For studios and distributors: this is a film worth fighting for.