Known for her roles in “Twilight,” “Love Lies Bleeding,” and “Spencer,” actress Kristen Stewart stepped behind the camera for her directorial debut, “The Chronology of Water,” which screened Wednesday at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. Stewart joined fans in Brookline for a Q&A session with Jen Dunlap, the film’s production designer, following a screening of the drama on Wednesday night.
Based on the memoir of the same name by Lidia Yuknavitch, “The Chronology of Water” follows the writer’s tumultuous life from early childhood to adulthood. Oftentimes seeking refuge in swimming and writing, the film explores themes of abuse, addiction, family, grief, sexuality, and gender. Imogen Poots stars in the film as Yuknavitch.
“It’s two hours and eight minutes, which is long. I hate long movies but I was like, [Yuknavitch] definitely deserves it,” Stewart said during Wednesday’s Q&A.
Part of the challenge for Stewart was uncovering her own style as a director, she admitted at the event. Filmed in Latvia, Stewart felt it was necessary to leave the US to achieve full artistic freedom for her first film, she previously told The Hollywood Reporter.
“There are straightforward poems. There are ones that tell you exactly how to feel and you’re like ‘Thanks dad.’ And then there are ones that are like ‘Thank you for introducing me to an internal voice that I’ve never really heard before,’” Stewart said during the Q&A. “I’ve had directors do both of those things for me and I fall somewhere in the middle.”
The creative connection between Stewart and Dunlap, her self-described “mommy” on set, was palpable, with the pair sharing several moments of gratitude for one another.
“Jen, you came and met me and built a world in me and around Lidia that I had just dreamt of for eight years,” Stewart said, praising Dunlap for her support on the project while it was “being kind of killed by department heads that I thought I could trust for a long time.”
The film’s cast also features Thora Birch as Yuknavitch’s sister, Jim Belushi as Yuknavitch’s mentor, as well as Kim Gordonand Michael Epp as Yuknavitch’s parents.
Stewart and Dunlap also candidly reflected on their sometimes frustrating experiences with male crew members on set.
“I saw you deal with people trying to diminish you,” Stewart said to Dunlap. “Did they listen to you? Did they revere you? Did they admire your mind, body, and soul in order to uplift [what] you wanted to say? No they didn’t.”
“That’s being a woman,” Dunlap responded.
With her first movie under her belt, Stewart shared the lessons she learned from directing “The Chronology of Water,” offering the following advice for aspiring filmmakers: “How you talk to your homies, that’s how you direct films.”
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