Now that we’ve all finished wiping our tears from listening to Taylor Swift‘s new 10-minute version of “All Too Well,” the waterworks are starting right back up again with the accompanying short film, which is out now. Starring Sadie Sink (of Stranger Things fame) as Her and teen-heartthrob-who-has-somehow-turned-30 Dylan O’Brien as Him, All Too Well: The Short Film was written and directed by Swift, who also makes an appearance.
All Too Well was shot on 35mm film by cinematographer Rina Yang, whose resume includes music videos by Dua Lipa, FKA Twigs, Zara Larsson, and Porches. Opening with a Pablo Neruda quote, the short offers up, narrative-wise, a relatively literal interpretation of the song’s narrative beats, while also delivering a dreamy, Instagram-ready glimpse into the emotions that come with an unbalanced yet still passionate affair.
The casting of actual 19-year-old Sink opposite O’Brien is perhaps the most pointed part of the production, highlighting Swift’s own age during the period of time chronicled by this song, as the relationship between the two lovers quickly peaks before crumbling apart. While Sink’s recent work has us preconditioned to assume some sort of supernatural terror is in store, instead All Too Well puts a soft focus lens on the horrors of heartbreak. Swift’s promised appearance comes in the form of Her, Later On, having written a successful novel about her relationship with Him — with Him watching from outside a bookstore signing, knowing what she’s lost.
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Swift teased the short film on social media yesterday (November 11th). “Plan your watch parties or grab your blanket and curl up into a ball,” she wrote on Twitter; as for us, we’ll be going with the latter. Watch All Too Well: The Short Film below.
The 10-minute version of “All Too Well” appears on Red (Taylor’s Version), a track-by-track rerecording of Swift’s 2012 pop crossover album. See where the original Red lands in the Consequence staff’s ranking of all Swift’s albums. Meanwhile, Jake Gyllenhaal is nowhere to be found.