Reviews

All Too Well: The Short Film

26 November 202124 November 2021By
All Too Well: The Short Film

Easter eggs, autumn leaves and red scarves – All Too Well, The Short Film has it all.

Rating: 5/5 

Taylor Swift. Musician. Business woman. Actress. Now…director. The list of her talents is endless, much like the vault tracks she has stored away ready to be released with her re-recorded albums. It was only a few months ago where the internet was collapsing at the release of Fearless but something in the air changed with Red. It may have been the story telling, or the soundtrack to her heartbreak or even the transition into her pop persona but one song from the album remains important and special to both Swift and the fans – All Too Well.

As explained by Swift in an interview with Jimmy Fallon, All Too Well has always been a fan-favourite, and the ten minute version has always been something both herself and fans wanted out in the world. The re-recording and release of Red (Taylor’s Version) became the perfect opportunity to release the entirety of the song in all its ten minute glory – accompanied by the breath-taking short film.

The film was teased by Taylor days before the album was released and featured Stranger Things star, Sadie Sink and The Maze Runner star, Dylan O’Brien. 

Released on the same day as Red (Taylor’s Version), All Too Well, the song and video has dominated headlines and Twitter timelines, with speculation, adoration and (rightful) anger. 

The short film clocks in with an impressive running time of just under 15 minutes, with the song only halting for an impressive improvised argument mid-video between our two protagonists. Over the course of the video, we see a ‘fictionalised’ relationship broken down into seven chapters which signify the milestones of the romance, from the romantic start to the bitter end. 

‘An Upstate Escape’, ‘The First Cracks In The Glass’, ‘Are You Real?’, ‘The Breaking Point’, ‘The Reeling’, ‘The Remembering’ and ‘Thirteen Years Gone’ are the titles of the chapters where we see a volatile, anxiety ridden relationship play out between Sink and O’Brien.

The Actors: One for the ages 

My initial thought when I first saw the cast of All Too Well was – “that’s one of the kids from Stranger Things!” A slightly disarming statement once you watch her play out a romantic relationship with Dylan O’Brien, most loved for his roles in dystopian teen films. Twitter quickly caught on to the (perhaps) deliberate age difference between the two actors (19 and 30), a similar resemblance to the age gap between Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhall – the person the song is suspected to be based on. 

The choice of actors is a smart move from Swift and only adds to her genius as a creative. There is an invitation for reflection and debate about where we sit morally as spectators of this intense relationship between a young woman and a much older man – a ten year age gap between ‘a child’ and a man who is at the peak of his career. There is an undeniable power dynamic between the two and the video seems to pose the question, “why were you not angry when this was actually happening, in real life?”

The short film unpicks and raises the issues that can arise between such a big age gap in a relationship and the emotional burden Taylor seemed to take on in this seemingly intense love affair. The roles named simplistically ‘Him’ and ‘Her’ were played beautifully by both O’Brien and Sink and encapsulated both characters poetically in a relatively short amount of time. O’Brien who has a reputation for being the ‘internet’s boyfriend’ made a successful transition into public enemy number one with his performance starring in the ‘toxic older boyfriend’ role.

Sink’s role as the central character was the perfect opportunity to build on the already excellent portfolio of acting she has on her CV at such a young age. From romantic montages to long night’s crying in her childhood bedroom, Sink sums up the emotional rollercoaster an intense relationship can take you on. At some points, you want to reach through the screen and hug her or protect her – a gesture that perhaps Swift deserved ten years ago. 

Herstory, not His 

The most notable aspect of the film was the sole focus on Sadie’s character, with little focus on Dylan’s perspective and honestly – good for Taylor. Being the director of the short film allowed her creative control of the narrative and could tell the story that she wants to tell, instead of the story that society has told for her. In an interview with Seth Meyers, Taylor was asked about whether it’s better or worse for the people who think her songs may be about them to which she responded, “I haven’t thought about their experience, to be honest.” Honestly, who can blame her?

In with the Old, In with the New 

The video serves as a peek into her old life, in some of her most formative years as Sink’s character turns 21 in the video – which may explain her hit song ‘22’ and feeling “happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time.” 

In true Taylor style, in the ‘Thirteen Years Later’ chapter, we meet a mysterious red-haired woman attending her book reading for her novel titled, ‘All Too Well’. The woman of course is Swift herself, an apt cameo to bring her past self and present self into one video. The cameo, while short, brings closure to the epic love story the audience has embarked on and shows Taylor really can do it all; singing, directing and acting.

The film is shot in a 4:3 ratio, with a rustic filter and still embodies the cottage-core, ‘Sad Girl Autumn’ era Taylor has proudly coined as her own. Both the video and song have the makings of summing up the transition between the start and end of a relationship, or the change from Autumn to Winter. Either way, she embodies coming to peace with endings and how to reclaim her past, unapologetically and beautifully.

How Does She Do it?

The one question on my mind throughout the film was, “how does she do it?” And by “it”, I mean continuing to develop her creativity and raising the bar not only for herself but for artists throughout the industry. All Too Well: The Short Film exceeded everything the fans wanted and she created something we never knew we needed. The film has taken on a life of its own, racking up 43 million views (and counting), and being watched and shared by both Taylor Swift stans and critics alike. People, who may have no interest in her, can’t help but watch her art and concede that she is leaps and bounds ahead in creativity, ideas and execution. She has taken an album that is a decade old and reinvented it to give the re-release a life of its own and introducing All Too Well to a new audience of fans. All Too Well: The Short Film has just solidified what so many of us have thought for so long: no matter how hard people try, Taylor Swift is just too good to ignore.