Kristen Stewart has come a long way since her “Twilight” days. The actress has, essentially, reincarnated her career. Focusing her time and talents to more independent features, Stewart has created this persona of naturalism in her roles. There is a misconception though, due to the popular vampire romance series, that Stewart’s career was once defined by franchises only. This myth disregards striking early work with David Fincher (“Panic Room“), David Gordon Green (“Undertow“), Sean Penn (“Into The Wild“) among others. The truth is, “Twilight” was a detour that took her away from indie film roots. And it’s a career that’s grown better and better and greatly evolved over the years.
In this video essay, Mr. Nerdista takes a decisive look at Stewart’s performances. Praiseworthy, but also deconstructive, a case is made for Stewart’s acting style. Patreon describes Stewart’s method as that of the French New Wave, or mumblecore (extremely naturalistic). Playing with her hair, fidgeting, and constant movement are descriptive terms that make up the young actress’s style. Stewart is always moving while in the frame. She is the one commanding the camera rather than being bound by its wandering eye.
Her naturalism goes beyond molding into the characters she plays. There’s always something about Stewart’s characters that lends as a reminder of who she is. Building this empathy, Stewart can breathe life into a character, contouring audience empathy. Stewart’s characters feel like real people, not caricatures. For her performance in “The Clouds of Sils Maria,” Stewart became the first American actress to win a César Award. Olivier Assayas 2016 film, “Personal Shopper,” Stewart takes a film about a possible haunting and transforms it into a film about the subject; an exploration of the person being haunted.
Having an underground renaissance, Kristen Stewart is reshaping her career. Based on connecting characters and moving storylines, the young actress is now building a resume worthy of her talents. With a touch of French New Wave style, Stewart will play icon Jean Seberg, emboldening the late actresses style, quirks, and bringing her to life.