'The Chronology of Water' Stars Thora Birch and Jim Belushi Discuss Elements of Memory and Performance
the two discuss their supporting turns as real-life figures in kristen stewart’s adaptation of lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir
Every year brings about a handful of directorial debuts from well-known actors, coming with various degrees of success. Oscar nominee and lifelong actress Kristen Stewart is among the latest to make the pivot to the director’s chair, and does so in a bold and memorable manner with her film The Chronology of Water. The film is a visceral, fluid adaptation of writer and activist Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir of the same name, and depicts Yuknavitch’s upbringing and personal journey, overcoming abuse and finding her own place in the world as a swimmer, and as a writer. Stewart’s film doesn’t pull its punches, and neither do its supporting performances. Stewart enlisted fellow child actress Thora Birch to play Lidia’s sister Claudia, and comedy legend Jim Belushi to play Lidia’s mentor and acclaimed novelist Kim Kesey, with both actors delivering some of their most daring and profound turns to date. Birch and Belushi spoke with FilmSpeak about collaborating with director Kristen Stewart, and finding the emotional truth of their characters.
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The Chronology of Water approaches the concept of Yuknavitch’s memory in a very innovative way. Stewart opts for shorter takes and rapid editing, switching between scenes in a non-linear fashion. When asked about approaching the process of acting in memory-based scenes in such a distinct way, Belushi was very candid in his response, claiming, “I didn’t look at it as memory, I looked at it as real time.”
Thora Birch had a much different approach to this process, and compared her character’s role in Lydia’s memory to Jim’s.
Director Kristen Stewart and actress Imogen Poots on set of The Chronology of Water.
“There’s something about Jim’s role in the film that makes me think he is more in real time, whereas Claudia is clearly only presented as experienced by the audience, through Lidia’s memory. That realization was the key that I needed to unlock an understanding to approach Claudia. I have to give Kristen a lot of credit, for keeping me more reined in than I usually already am, as far as feeling those real emotions. So, to not react as I would, but as ‘the real Claudia’ would, and just live in that space where I was able to be a canvas for Lidia’s emotion, and Kristen really helped me with that, specifically when it came time for me to maintain Claudia’s sort of rage. Thora, was ready to go beat the hell out of the guy, and make sure he never came out of that water, that’s what I was gonna do.”
On collaborating with director Kristen Stewart;
TB: As an actress, and a darn fine one as she is, we all speak that same language, and so it’s not so much communication as it is a shared understanding of the people that we’re playing, the material that we’re dealing with, and also, she comes out and she brings something to it that I didn’t know. I didn’t see it when we were there on the set, I didn’t know it was there. I thought about it for weeks by myself, how [the film] was going to be, and then I saw the movie, and I’m blown away. I’m crying, I’m laughing, I’m having a great time, totally miserable, it’s such a great piece. It’s very unique, and very physical. Even the silence has a vibration to it.
JB: A gift for sure. I think she directed me in probably one of my best performances in years, and I don’t know how she did it. She created an environment where you were allowed to feel so safe, and allow yourself to risk being vulnerable, and vulnerable about some very difficult stuff, the traumas that I had to bring to the character from my own life. She allowed me to sink into that, that vulnerability, and she’s a monster of a director.