Kristen Stewart Directing First Film in Latvia Because She Needs “Radical Detachment” From Hollywood

For Kristen Stewart‘s adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir The Chronology of Water, which marks her feature film directorial debut, the actress is stepping away from Hollywood. Instead of filming the Imogen Poots-starring biographical drama in Los Angeles, Stewart is planning to shoot the movie in Europe.

Speaking with Net-a-Porter, the Love Lies Bleeding star shared that she is making The Chronology of Water in Latvia. She told the publication that the decision stemmed from craving creative freedom without the confines of Tinseltown.

“It’s a fledging film culture there [in Latvia],” she explained. “Look, I’m all about the way we make movies here [in the US], but I needed a sort of radical detachment. I am not a director yet. I need to make a student film. I can’t do that here.”

The sets in Latvia will be transformed to fit the various U.S. cities featured in the film, including New York and San Diego.

Stewart, whose previous directorial work includes visual projects for musicians including Boygenius, called out Hollywood for forcing women to compromise as filmmakers in order to succeed.

“[There’s a] thinking that we can check these little boxes, and then do away with the patriarchy, and how we’re all made of it,” she said. “It’s easy for them to be like, ‘Look what we’re doing. We’re making Maggie Gyllenhaal’s movie! We’re making Margot Robbie’s movie!’ And you’re like, ‘OK, cool. You’ve chosen four.'”

Stewart continued, “And I’m in awe of those women, I love those women [but] it feels phony. If we’re congratulating each other for broadening perspective, when we haven’t really done enough, then we stop broadening.

As for where production currently stands, Stewart shared that, at the time of the interview, she was in “soft prep” for The Chronology of Water, two weeks away from officially beginning the production process.

Previously, Stewart had told Rolling Stone that the film, which she also wrote and has been trying to make for seven years, is “radical in a million ways,” which is why it had been so difficult to find someone to finance it, she said. The story tackles childhood sexual abuse, queer romance, BSDM and addiction, among other challenging subjects.