By Hailey Abdilla and Emma Kidger
Taylor Swift did not hesitate to pull out all the stops for her recorded album Red. Not only did she record all the original songs but the legendary singer-songwriter added unreleased songs meant for the original album which includes a 10 minute rendition of the infamous song “All too Well.” As if this ongoing list of new additions wasn’t enough, Taylor Swift spontaneously released a short film to visually convey the powerful message bestowed in her 10 minute extension of “All too Well.”
Starring Sadie Sink playing the character Her, and Dylan O’Brien playing Him, the short film presents the relationship sung about in Taylor Swift’s masterfully written song. While the song continues to paint a picture of the perfect couple, perfectly in love, the beautiful song strategically holds scenes of fights between the characters and Her’s realization that Him isn’t all she thought he was made out to be. While we ride the rollercoaster consumed with the ups and downs of the characters’ relationship, the song ends with Taylor Swift herself as a successful author who had written about the trials of love notably titled “All too Well.”
Swift remains infamous for connecting her artistry to other works she has done, and her first short film is no exception. During one of the fight scenes, the character meant to represent Swift yells at her partner, exclaiming, “you dropped my (expletive) hand!” Similarly, in one of Swift’s more recent songs, “Champagne Problems,” she sings “I dropped your hand while dancing.” This word choice was on purpose and brilliantly highlights the idea that Taylor evolved from a 20 year old who got her heart broken, to a 30 year old who has become the heart-breaker after countless heartbreaks.
Furthermore, the All Too Well Short Film is littered with little details that highlight the age difference between a then 20 year old Taylor Swift and her ex, 30 year old Jake Gyllenhaal. First off, Taylor specifically chose a 19 year old girl and a 30 year old man to play the characters in her film. There are also a plethora of little things such as the dinner scene where everyone at the table has an empty wine glass while the character playing Taylor’s wine glass is full, highlighting how incredibly young Taylor truly was. Another example of their age difference can be seen in the party scene where everyone is holding their wine glasses by the stem (correctly), while Taylor’s character is holding her wine glass by the base (incorrectly). This further highlights her inexperience in life and really reminds the audience of how young and naive she was.
Swifties from all over have not stopped obsessing over the extension of the song let alone the beautifully produced short film which brings the song’s story to life. The hidden messages from the backgrounds, props, clothes, and more connect the pieces to the entire album’s message.