Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, you definitely won’t be a stranger to Taylor Swift’s short film All Too Well, starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien.
The cinematic short comes after Swift’s re-release of Red the album, including the much anticipated ten-minute-long version of her heartbreak anthem, All Too Well.
The film encapsulates the song perfectly, with easter eggs for the fans, such as the iconic red scarf, dropped in along the way.
The online community are certain this song is about the relationship Taylor had with Jake Gyllenhaal when she was 20 years old, and he was 29.
The film aids this theory with its casting of Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien, who have an almost identical age gap.
The short follows the story of a relationship and is split into five parts: an ultimate escape, the first crack in the glass, are you real?, the remembering, and thirteen years gone.
In a stroke of artistic genius, the film portrays an increasingly toxic relationship, and the problems an age gap may pose. The song stops midway through to allow us to hear the couple communicating in a short scene set in the kitchen. O’Brien’s acting as the bad guy is so convincing it even had me, a fan of his, beginning to resent his character.
With an overarching colour theme of yellow, orange and red, the cinematography creates the perfect cosy autumn aesthetic, making it feel like the pair are the only two in the world. The golden light beaming in and out on the indoor scenes created an almost angelic setting and fitted perfectly with the theme of ‘are you real?’.
Sink’s character is so besotted with her partner that she struggles to see the relationship for what it is.
Although she is only 19, her acting was standout for me. Raw and emotional, she created a character that almost every girl can relate to – the period of time after being heartbroken where it feels like nothing will be okay again.
The ending scenes tied the storyline up creatively. With Taylor herself making an appearance as older Sadie, it's confirmed this story is something the singer has experienced personally.
O’Brien’s character watches Taylor’s success from the outside – although, in this universe, she’s an author at a book signing.
Overall, I would rate this short film five out of five stars and would recommend everyone, even if you’re not a fan of Taylor, to watch it.
Edited by Jemma Snowdon