The film itself is an adaptation of the memoir of the same name by Lidia Yuknavitch, a competitive swimmer-turned writer who, as Poots explains, "was dealt these cards and had to take responsibility for the problems that other people presented her with". The story recounts moments of Lidia's life in fragments, rawly examining some of the most striking, impactful and inspirational snapshots of her youth – occupied less with literally narrating Lidia's past than it is with reflecting on how she reclaims and transforms her experiences on paper.
Given some of the heavy material the film engages with, a great deal of trust between lead actor and director was required. "I don't know how you would go about making this film without that level of trust and belief and, crucially, respect. I think that respect and trust go hand in hand," Poots explains. She speaks of her working relationship with Stewart with obvious admiration: "I need to let her direct. She needs to let me act. And that's just a cool place to be with someone. It doesn't always happen. And I also think as individuals it was a very kismet thing. It's sort of ineffable. It just is.
The obvious care between actor and director seamlessly translates into depictions of the female body in the film. The Chronology of Water is visceral in its presentation of the most intimate, confronting parts of womanhood – even opening its 128-minute run time with an image of Lidia's blood – thick, crimson and merging with water – and later capturing the entire spectrum of bodily fluids the female body is capable of producing. "I didn't know a girl's body could do that," Lidia's monologue hums at an early point in the feature.
"It's an incredibly powerful arena and realm to exist in when you are connected to your own body, and certainly throughout my life as a woman and as an actress, that hasn't always been the case. And so when that does happen it's so revealing, and it's quite overwhelming – and that was something we were trying to capture."
"There's so much secrecy, there's so much shame still affiliated with the female body, as if you should be able to control these things." Poots says, "In terms of the actual life of the woman, and in terms of presenting the body, it's amazing that people will sit through a movie and watch someone have their head shot off by a shotgun, but squirm at the idea that they have to confront where they came from.
Such intentionality is embedded into many choices made in The Chronology of Water. Shot on celluloid, each decision, from its casting, to its lack of soundtrack, to its intricate colour palette all work in skilful congruence with each other. "There's an urgency to shooting on film that is really special," she says, highlighting her "wonderful relationship" with cinematographer Corey C Waters. "He and I had to be in a small room together doing crazy things, and knowing how that's going to be captured is really beautiful."
Poots's performance is ultimately the weight of the film. She portrays Lidia from her formative teenage years through to her adulthood with a seamless continuity, illustrating each intricacy of Lidia's complex personality with delicacy, despite her moments of recklessness; of anger and anguish and alcohol. When we begin discussing how Poots first approached Lidia as a character, she's quick to emphasise Lidia's humanity. "I think there's an inherent decency to her," she explains, adding, "But that's not to say that she doesn't f**ck up all the time."
She also found the film's occupation with Lidia's memories particularly relatable – at times portrayed as transformative fragments, words written into childhood notepads, whispered into water, unexpectedly resurfacing. "I think that was very, very relatable – in terms of how we reframe what's happened to us... Everything is happening to her," she says, going on to reference the Rainer Maria Rilke quote 'Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final'.
Poots's striking performance is further sustained by the film's supporting cast – all of whom play the people who alter the trajectory of Lidia's life. She highlights scenes with Jim Belushi, who plays One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest author Ken Kesey – Lidia's early writing mentor – as well as Thora Birch, who portrays Lidia's older sister Claudia. Poots brilliantly describes Birch's presence as "volcanic", and cites both actors as film standouts.
"And I loved all of my scenes with Thora Birch as well. Those were incredibly grounding. Those are some of the highlights of my career, working with Thora."
It's a sentiment that quietly shifts our focus to the career Poots has built over the last two decades. At 36-years old, the west London native's catalogue of work has been defined by a variety of diverse performances. At only 17, she was cast as Tammy Harris in 28 Weeks Later, the first sequel to Danny Boyle's acclaimed zombie film. Since then, Poots has predominantly filled her filmography with independent projects across a wide range of genres – from New York-set screwball comedies to brutal, sanguinary horror flicks. "I always knew I wanted to work in independent cinema," she mentions.
But despite her previous notable endeavours, this project rightly seems particularly remarkable for Poots. I ask her what leads to her choosing such compelling roles. "I do think it's really important to remain authentic," she responds. "And that's not to say you can't go and earn money. You have to go and earn money. But I think that there are ways of doing that, and people you can work with. I just am aware more than ever that the choices really do matter. And if you're true with those, you'll end up meeting with people you are actually meant to collaborate with, which is really cool."
She finishes by likening her approach to future projects to music – "the way musicians make albums".
"Are you going to make albums back to back, or are you going to go away and think about what you want to say about the next one?" she asks, rhetorically, "I think that's quite a nice way of thinking about it."
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