The Chronology of Water (2025)
Genre: Biography / Drama
Duration: 128 minuten
Country:
United States / France / Latvia
Directed by: Kristen Stewart
Stars: Imogen Poots, Thora Birch and Jim Belushi
IMDb score:
6,3 (4.515)
Releasedate: 16 May 2025
The Chronology of Water plot
Swimmer and Olympic hopeful Lidia Yuknavitch gets a scholarship in Texas and escapes her aggressive father and alcoholic mother. Her tendency towards alcohol and drugs costs her her scholarship, after which she tries her luck in Oregon. Drugs and alcohol remain a common thread in her life in which she has to deal with her bisexuality. Over the years, the general chaos in her existence makes way for a career as an author and teacher and the love for her husband and son.
Actors and actresses
Reviews & comments
mrklm
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- 12860 messages
- 10708 votes
A truckload of misery rolls through the pages of this pretentious psychological drama about Lidia (Imogen Poots), who briefly escapes her miserable life (with a not-so-nice dad [Michael Epp] and an indifferent mother [Susannah Flood]) by taking a swim. This depressing portrait of a dead-end existence provides Stewart with an excuse to fire off all sorts of visual flourishes, in the style of Terrence Malick, while a voiceover narrates the protagonist's thoughts. The only relief from this tiresome stylistic exercise comes from Belushi as author Ken Kesey ("One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest," "Sometimes A Great Notion"), with whom Lidia takes a writing course.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Drulko Vlaschjan
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- 517 messages
- 449 votes
Low scores, I must say. I thought it was one of the best films I've seen in recent years. Yes, it's a lot of misery, but there's a lot of development within that misery. It's not like one trauma permeates your entire life and determines everything.
It's also beautiful that characters come and go, as often happens in real life. In films that span such a long time, the characters often remain the same. Then the childhood sweetheart is also the one who sits at the deathbed.
Stylistically, I also thought it was all quite beautiful. You've certainly seen this kind of polished rawness before; it's not exactly original, but it fits the oppressive atmosphere well.
It's also nice that Kim Gordon has a bit part. I recently saw Asap Rocky in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You. These days, musicians are making actors redundant.
Translated from Dutch · View original
blurp194
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- 6015 messages
- 4496 votes
Stewart does a lot right with her first feature film as a director.
What I really liked was the nervous editing, the loose handling of chronology and continuity, and the separation between reality and the dream world. Also, the fact that she keeps her distance from the often deadly boring color grading that reduces everything to the same mush—a breath of fresh air, actually. But there is a downside to that: the film is at least half an hour, maybe forty-five minutes too long, and the fuss with the framing and aspect ratio really rubs me the wrong way. It's nice that you want to work on film, but trust the result instead of the hype, I think.
In the casting, Poots is unapproachable; what intensity she brings, and how raw and visceral she plays her role. I can't really think of an example that even comes close. It is also very impressive how the scenes where she is still a teenager turn out; everything about her exudes a teenage girl vibe.
The soundtrack fits the visuals and the story nicely. It is not often that I find that, but here I do; the often scratching and raw sounds just fit perfectly.
All in all, a pretty overwhelming film, but what sticks is that it could have been much stronger with a somewhat shorter running time.
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