‘The Chronology of Water’ Trailer: Kristen Stewart Unveils a Raw, Visceral Indie Debut Led by a Ferocious Imogen Poots

Kristen Stewart delivers a raw, bruising, beautifully unfiltered debut — and Imogen Poots gives the kind of performance that stops you cold.

Kristen Stewart has never been shy about pushing toward the edge of the frame — but today she finally steps behind the camera with the first official trailer for The Chronology of Water, her long-developed directorial debut. After eight years of writing, adapting, and defending a book Hollywood once considered “unfilmable,” Stewart’s take on Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir arrives with the kind of bruised, personal charge only an actor-turned-filmmaker can pull off.

Imogen Poots leads the film as Yuknavitch, a once-promising competitive swimmer working through childhood trauma, addiction, and the volatility that becomes both her downfall and her artistic fuel. The trailer teases the film’s emotional turbulence — cold pools, quiet rage, destructive spirals — but also the creative explosion that follows once she finally starts telling the truth on the page. It’s a story about reclaiming your own life by admitting you nearly drowned in it.

The ensemble surrounding Poots is stacked with unexpected casting: Jim Belushi, Thora Birch, Susannah Flood, Tom Sturridge and Sonic Youth legend Kim Gordon, each shown in quick flashes that carry the grainy, lived-in texture Stewart was always chasing. You can feel the eight-year development process in every frame — the trailer looks like a film made by someone who turned down every note that didn’t feel human.

Following its world premiere at Cannes and a strong critical reception, The Forge has acquired North American rights and mapped out a theatrical release beginning in December, followed by a January expansion. Stewart emphasized her commitment to keeping the film on the big screen, saying it “should be birthed onto the screen,” and thanking a producing team that spans Scott Free, CG Cinema, Nevermind Pictures and several international partners.

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For a memoir built on vulnerability, chaos, and reinvention, the trailer reflects exactly that. It’s jagged. It’s intimate. It announces Kristen Stewart — filmmaker — with total confidence.

The Chronology of Water begins its theatrical rollout in December before expanding nationwide in January.

Watch The Trailer Below: