What is Kristen Stewart’s The Chronology of Water ?
Career wise Kristen Stewart is, career wise, far removed from her Twilight franchise days and with an Oscar nomination to her name plus a back catalogue of widely diverse films she makes her feature film directorial debut with The Chronology of Water a film that’s as challenging to watch as it must have been to have made with it being adapted on Lidia Yulnavitch’s 2011 misery memoir that detailed abuse.
What is The Chronology of Water about?
Imogen Poots plays Lidia, who along with her sister Claudia (Thora Birch) are sexually abused as a teenager by their father Mike (Michael Epp) whilst their mother is in denial. The fallout is understandably awful : her mother falls into depression, her sister too and the film focusses on Lidia who dives into competitive swimming gaining a college scholarship. The swimming gives her an escape and something that washes away the awful childhood memories. And yet Lidia also throws herself into drink and drugs messing up all her self-rehabilitation.
Much like the accounts Harry & Meghan’s Archwell foundation, it’s into creative writing that she finds another route of escape taking part in a group effort to write a novel under the tutelage of Ken Kesey (Jim Belushi). But even then there’s a hint that maybe she has escaped her own father for another father figure with perhaps equally awful intentions and the film explores how, and if, she can ever escape her past.
Reaction….
For Imogen Poots this is something of a game changer role in what is an often challenging character that at times is self-centred and immature and seemingly unable to escape a cycle of abuse, saddled with a boyfriend she despises and she often retreats into her own sexuality in some uncomfortable scenes. But Poots is really very good in the role that sees her now as an actress worthy of bigger projects
As seems obilgatory the film is split into chapters and Stewart has taken an often impressionistic approach to her subject initially with big close ups, sometimes out of focus that takes a while to adjust to. At times The Chronology of Water is a little self- indulgent a little too experimental and arguably overlong in what is a divisive film but there’s much to admire here in what is a compelling if uneven film.
related feature : Kristen Stewart in her Oscar nominated role in Spencer – REVIEW
related feature : ‘Dreamers’ – director Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor chats about her immigrant detainee love story
Here’s The Chronology of Water trailer….
The post The Chronology of Water – REVIEW appeared first on Any Good Films.
from Any Good Films https://ift.tt/ahl40yK
