Raised in an environment ravaged by violence and alcohol, after a childhood marked by abuse, restless Lidia (Imogen Poots) finds refuge in competitive swimming, sexual experimentation, toxic relationships, and addiction, before finding her voice through writing. Her path to self-destruction takes an unexpected turn through literature.
A powerful tale of female self-determination through memory, body, and desire, and an intimate exploration of female freedom beyond convention.
"I first encountered The Chronology of Water in 2017 on my Kindle. From the first page, I felt an electric current: a jagged, nonlinear journey through trauma and memory, unlike anything I'd ever read. After 40 pages, I had a physical reaction: I put the book down and told my team I had to talk to the writer. What struck me was the fragmentation: Yuknavitch doesn't offer a tidy narrative, but fragments of life that the reader must piece together. This process of reconstruction became the heart of my first film. I love Lidia; in a certain sense, she's sacred to me. There are voices that help you find yours.
For eight years, I wrote and rewrote—I made hundreds of versions—shaping a screenplay that was as ephemeral and neurological as memory itself. My film is an invitation to look at ugliness, to confront shame, and to recognize that our bodies and our history belong to us. I hope audiences come away from the film understanding that reclaiming their own voice— through writing, art, or storytelling – is an act of radical power." (Kristen Stewart)
