The Chronology of Water Analysis: An Open and Inflamed Wound

Marking Kristen Stewart's debut in directing a feature film, The Chronology of Water premiered in one of the most prestigious sections at Cannes: Un Certain Regard. Adapted from Lidia Yuknavitch's memoir of the same name, the film tells the life story of a young woman growing up in the midst of terrible trauma.

Kristen arrives in the director's chair in grand style. Full of purposeful language and thorny themes, the director relied on boldness to build a feature that has many merits but also many flaws.

Trigger warning from here on: The film deals with issues of sexual abuse.

The Plot

The film tells the story of Lidia, a young woman growing up in an abusive home where her father sexually abuses her and her sister, while her mother, despite knowing about it, does nothing. The young woman creates strategies to deal with her abuser, but she only manages to break free when she starts college and moves out of her parents' house. Trauma is never cast aside in this story. The escalation of situations following Lidia's life makes it constantly clear that what happened to her will never be forgotten. Lidia finally begins to handle and purge these feelings only when she finds refuge in writing.

The plot of the film is quite difficult to digest. Throughout the first act, we must face several unsettling, violent, and disturbing sequences. The director finds clever solutions within this process to handle the weight of it, but we will address that further along.

Returning to the plot: What follows after the first act is the chronology of a woman's life who will carry this trauma forever, the path of her liberation, and the process of purging that trauma. Unfortunately, there is nothing beautiful to observe here. Every moment seems designed to act as a new arrow to the chest of an audience that eventually has no space left for more arrows.

What Bothers Me

The most uncomfortable issue in the film often seems intentional, but it still feels weak when we dive into a deeper analysis of the drama. The fact is that trauma seems present in every single scene. There is no truce or rest to digest anything. Everything is extremely and deeply laden with trauma. It is perfectly understandable that the film chooses to address this, but its weakness lies in this excess.

The film seems so focused on creating a realistic and respectful portrait (which it certainly is), but it ends up forgetting to factually deal with the issue. At some point in the film, the abuser almost seems to be forgiven, and there is no punishment or resolution regarding the matter.

It is understandable that the engine of the plot is the resulting trauma, but it is absolutely frustrating that all the crimes committed, which we see happening on screen, are cast aside and completely forgotten by the script for the sake of creating a bit more of an unsettling sensation.

In contrast to so many issues, the direction of the film is intelligent, sensitive, and very skillful. One can see that Kristen is not just an amateur. Her direction arrives demonstrating maturity, care, and an authorial perspective that is visibly stamped onto the images.

Even in the tensest moments, such as abuse scenes, the director shows great sensitivity and correctly chooses not to frame the abuse directly. What is happening is implied, carried by sound, visual, and symbolic metaphors that the audience understands without having to see the act itself.

The cinematography of the film is beautiful. The composition of the frames, the contrasts, colors, and angles all seem to represent an aesthetic sharply guided by the direction. Water is an element that remains present both literally and figuratively. This permeates the entire aesthetic of the film and builds a successful sense of unity. The sound design is also bold and follows this same pattern.

One can propose to understand the anatomy of a wound and its healing process. However, when this study involves poking the wound until it becomes inflamed and then leaving without applying a bandage, perhaps what is being done is more destructive than analytical.

Kristen Stewart delivers a beautiful aesthetic and thematic composition. There is incredible delicacy and care in the construction of every element and visual sign in the film. As a visual work, the movie can be considered a delight. But considering its narrative, what remains at the end is more than the feeling of suffocation the film proposes; it is a sense of emptiness. "Why did I watch this?" is what you ask yourself at the end of The Chronology of Water. Given such a sensitive subject, that is hard to swallow.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

And you? What did you think of the film?

Until next time!