Kristen Stewart rushed to embrace Imogen Poots as they led the stars arriving at the premiere of The Chronology Of Water on Thursday, during the 69th BFI London Film Festival.
The actress, 35, put on a very leggy display at the screening in a short black and white minidress, leaving both her new tattoos that were inspired by the film, on full display.
The Spencer star had the words ‘WHY’ and ‘MINE’ inked on her bicep and thigh, respectively, to commemorate the project.
Kristen beamed as she joined Imogen, 36, on the carpet, who exuded Hollywood glamour in a velvet maroon gown that clung to her lithe frame, teamed with a coordinating scarf.
The Chronology of Water is Kristen’s directorial debut, which she also co-produced and adapted for the screen from the visceral 2011 memoir by American swimmer Lidia Yuknavitch.
Imogen stars as Lidia in the stirring drama, which tells her story about becoming a competitive swimmer after surviving an abusive childhood.
Kristen Stewart rushed to embrace Imogen Poots as they led the stars arriving at the premiere of The Chronology Of Water on Thursday, during the 69th BFI London Film Festival
The actress, 35, put on a very leggy display at the screening in a short black and white minidress, leaving both her new tattoos that were inspired by the film, on full display
The Spencer star had the words ‘WHY’ and ‘MINE’ inked on her bicep and thigh, respectively, to commemorate the project
The two stars were joined at the screening by fellow cast members Esme Allen, Esmé Creed-Miles, Anna Wittowsky and Earl Cave.
Esmé turned heads as she put on a racy display in a sheer blue gown, flashing her underwear beneath and major side boob.
While Earl – who plays Lidia’s first husband in the film – looked the spitting image of his famous father, Nick Cave, as he posed in an Argyle patterned sweater vest and a black knit cardigan.
Rounding out the talented cast for the drama are Jim Belushi, Tom Sturridge, Thora Birch and Sonic Youth rock band’s Kim Gordon.
Kirsten first presented the film at Cannes Film Festival earlier in May – where the film was met with critical acclaim and and a standing ovation.
Variety called it ‘a stirring drama of abuse and salvation, told with poetic passion’, while Indiewire critic David Ehrlich said ‘there isn’t a single millisecond of this movie that doesn’t bristle with the raw energy of an artist’.
Following the Cannes premiere, Kristen opened up about her passion to tell Lidia’s story, telling AFP: ‘I had just never read a book like that that is screaming out to be a movie, that needs to be moving, that needs to be a living thing.
She gushed how it was awe-inspiring how Lidia was ‘able to take really ugly things, process them, and put out something that you can live with, something that actually has joy.
Kristen beamed as she joined Imogen, 36, on the carpet, who exuded Hollywood glamour in a velvet maroon gown that clung to her lithe frame, teamed with a coordinating scarf
The Chronology of Water is Kristen’s directorial debut, which she also co-produced and adapted for the screen from the visceral 2011 memoir by American swimmer Lidia Yuknavitch
Imogen stars as Lidia in the stirring drama, which tells her story about becoming a competitive swimmer after surviving an abusive childhood (pictured in film)
The two stars were joined at the screening by fellow cast members Esme Allen, Esmé Creed-Miles, Anna Wittowsky and Earl Cave (L-R)
Esmé turned heads as she put on a racy display in a sheer blue gown, flashing her underwear beneath and major side boob
While Earl – who plays Lidia’s first husband in the film – looked the spitting image of his famous father, Nick Cave, as he posed in an Argyle patterned sweater vest and a black knit cardigan
‘The reason I really wanted to make the movie is because I thought it was hilarious in such a giddy and excited way, like we were telling secrets. I think the book is a total lifeboat.
It certainly saved Lidia and made her a cult writer, with her viral TED Talk The Beauty of Being a Misfit inspiring a spin-off book, The Misfit’s Manifesto.
Kristen told AFP: ‘Being a woman is a really violent experience. Even if you don’t have the sort of extreme experience that we depict in the film or that Lidia endured and came out of beautifully’.
The Twilight star insisted there were no autobiographical parallels per se that drew her to the original book.
She explained: ‘I didn’t have to do a bunch of research. I’m a female body that’s been walking around for 35 years. Look at the world that we live in.
‘I don’t have to have been abused by my dad to understand what it is like to be taken from, to have my voice stifled, and to not trust myself. It takes a lot of years (for that) to go.
‘I think that this movie resonates with anyone who is open and bleeding, which is 50 percent of the population.’
Kristen told reporters she was never really tempted to play Lidia herself, before deciding to cast Imogen, who she called ‘the best actress of our generation’.
Rounding out the talented cast for the drama are Jim Belushi, Tom Sturridge, Thora Birch and Sonic Youth rock band’s Kim Gordon
Kirsten first presented the film at Cannes Film Festival earlier in May – where the film was met with critical acclaim and and a standing ovation
Variety called it ‘a stirring drama of abuse and salvation, told with poetic passion’, while Indiewire critic David Ehrlich said ‘there isn’t a single millisecond of this movie that doesn’t bristle with the raw energy of an artist’
The Twilight star insisted there were no autobiographical parallels per se that drew her to the original book
Kristen told reporters she was never really tempted to play Lidia herself, before deciding to cast Imogen, who she called ‘the best actress of our generation’
Kristen described her movie’s fever-dream energy as ‘a pink muscle that is throbbing’ and that Imogen was able to tap into, channelling Lidia’s ferocious but often chaotic battle to rebuild herself and find pleasure and happiness in her life
She added that Lidia’s book ‘sort of meditates on what art can do for you after people do things to your body – the violation and the thievery, the gouging out of desire. Which is a very female experience’
Kristen said Lidia discovered that the only way to take desire back was to ‘bespoke it… and repurpose the things that have been given to you in order for you to own them’
She gushed: ‘She is so lush, so beautiful and she’s so cracked herself open in this. She has this big boob energy in the film – even though she is quite flat-chested – these big blue eyes and this long hair.’
Kristen described her movie’s fever-dream energy as ‘a pink muscle that is throbbing’ and that Imogen was able to tap into, channelling Lidia’s ferocious but often chaotic battle to rebuild herself and find pleasure and happiness in her life.
‘Pain and pleasure, they’re so tied, there’s a hairline fracture there,’ Kristen told the Cannes Festival’s video channel.
She added that Lidia’s book ‘sort of meditates on what art can do for you after people do things to your body – the violation and the thievery, the gouging out of desire. Which is a very female experience.’
Kristen said Lidia discovered that the only way to take desire back was to ‘bespoke it… and repurpose the things that have been given to you in order for you to own them.’
She added: I’m not being dramatic, but as women we are walking secrets.’
