Kristen Stewart goes for the poetic in the harrowing The Chronology of Water with mixed results.
The highly fragmented non-linear editing used in depicting the deeply traumatic upbringing of the teenage character and her resulting toxic behavior towards others made the first half of the film a tough sit for me.
It later finds its footing, however, as a more mature and wiser Lidia Yuknavitch, played by Imogen Poots, navigates academia and adulthood. Poots is outstanding as she takes the challenging role head-on.
The visuals that resemble faded memories are often arresting, but they could have benefited from lighter processing.
There is no question Stewart has a knack for directing, and this is a promising debut. If she embraces the mindset that she no longer has something to prove, things will only get better from here.
