We Can't Stop Watching Kristen Stewart's Mesmerising Directorial Debut

Kristen Stewart has never been afraid to smash boundaries. After rocketing to global acclaim for her role as Bella Swan in the mega-hit Twilight trilogy, she's built a powerhouse Hollywood career and become a critical role model for young people grappling with their sexuality beyond the binary. But this fall, the 27-year-old A-lister is adding another title to her vast resumé, partnering with Refinery29's Shatterbox Anthology for her hauntingly beautiful directorial debut, Come Swim.

Through this short, which was showcased last year to rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival and Cannes, Stewart joins the growing number of industry women who've boldly claimed the director's chair, moving behind the camera to tell a story that's just as darkly alluring as you'd expect. A journey through the imagination's wild currents, Come Swim conjures a kaleidoscopic portrait of one man's emotional interior, complete with unbounded darkness and desire. At once starkly real and beguilingly impressionistic, the film resonates as an electric meditation on anxiety and heartbreak.

Since bursting onto the Hollywood scene as the universe's favorite mortal teenager, Stewart has always shone as an industry game-changer, even when surrounded by a sea of brooding, rakish vampires. As an actor, she's conquered a series of high-profile roles, including parts in star-studded films ranging from Woody Allen's nostalgic romp through Tinseltown, Café Society, and Oscar darling Still Alice. She's also the first American to win France's prestigious César award for her performance in 2014's Clouds of Sils Maria. And in 2016, she dazzled audiences in the unsettlingly beautiful Personal Shopper — a supernatural thriller from acclaimed director Olivier Assayas, who took home Best Director at Cannes for the film.

Press play above to catch Stewart's gloriously mesmerising, provocative film — trust us, you've never seen anything like it.