Kristen Stewart has spent most of her life in front of the camera, but, now, she’s confidently stepping behind it. Additionally, she's calling out what she believes to be outdated attitudes that keep others from helming films. As she promotes her feature directorial debut, The Chronology of Water, Stewart is getting real about the film industry and, true to form, she isn’t holding back when it comes to the kind of gatekeeping that still dominates conversations around who’s qualified to direct.
In a fireside chat interview for the nonprofit Breaking Through the Lens, Kristen Stewart discussed the myths surrounding filmmaking, especially the assumption that a person needs extensive technical knowledge or years of experience before telling a story through film. The Twilight alum, who previously directed music videos and short films, argues that the idea of this technical adeptness requirement comes from a very masculine tradition of filmmaking and is meant to keep out certain voices. She said (via Variety):
There’s this bullshit fallacy that you need to have experience or sort of like technical adeptness, and it’s safeguarding the business. It’s a real male perspective. Like, as if it’s this difficult thing to do. Anyone can make a movie if they have something to say.
We’ve arguably seen this myth dispelled as more actors step behind the camera without technical “training” or prowess. Stars like Olivia Wilde, Elizabeth Banks, Daniel Kaluuya and John Krasinski have all seemingly directed without a perceived extensive knowledge of the filmmaking craft from a technical standpoint.
However, those actors were all experienced storytellers, considering the extensive time they have spent in front of the camera, making the audiences connect with their characters. Stewart doubled down on this idea, saying:
But there’s no amount of learning or skill, like that’s just crap. If you can just feel allowed to communicate and therefore get in touch with something that wants to come out, a film will come out of you. It shouldn’t have taken so long … And I can’t wait for the next one.
On the one hand, these sentiments seem to express just how much Kristen Stewart cares about expanding the amount of voices behind the camera. On the other hand, they also convey just how meaningful her directorial debut is to her.
Stewart's The Chronology of Water is an upcoming book-to-screen adaptation based on Lidia Yuknavitch's 2011 memoir of the same name. It’s about a young woman who finds her voice through swimming and ultimately finding a path through teaching and motherhood. Stewart attended the premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this year, as the film was presented in the “Un Certain Regard” section.
The former child actress has seemingly proven her point about capable filmmakers. Despite having limited technical training, she seems to have succeeded in helming a strong film. The movie is already receiving fantastic reviews out of the festival and currently holds a 92% critics store on Rotten Tomatoes. Stewart has a history of working with auteurs, and I wouldn't be surprised if she picked up a pointer or two due to those experiences. Also, it seems like this is just the beginning for Stewart, as she's already looking forward to her next directing endeavor.
You can see Kristen Stewart’s The Chronology of Water when it finds its way onto the 2025 movie schedule at some point. In the meantime, you can see her latest work as an actress in Love Lies Bleeding, which is currently available to stream with an HBO Max subscription.
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