Popular songstress Taylor Swift has re-recorded and released her Red album on her terms, with a short film for "All Too Well." It's even got lyrics added, which seem to shed more light on her whirlwind relationship when she was 20 with Jake Gyllenhaal over a decade ago and the nine-year age gap. Interestingly, as impressive as the short is in terms of being a perfect indie film, its endearment and drama are sadly ruined in the final moments.
"All Too Well: The Short Film," just around 10 minutes, focuses on Him (Dylan O'Brien) and Her (Sadie Sink) as they embark on a love affair. It's a cool, Netflix-esque story with great cinematography and clever pacing, with Swift's lyrics acting as the backdrop, or soundtrack if you will, as it details the couple trying to make it last. It harkens back to Swift's brief three-month romance with the actor, depicting them fighting and then cracking apart due to the age difference.
The short film shows Him ignoring her at dinner with his older friends, them cursing each other out, then the frustrations of life making it tough for Him to juggle his career with this romance and someone who needs attention and care. It eventually leads to a break-up, with Her moving on as a writer, attending art events and hoping Him shows up, as well as Him missing her 21st birthday party -- which many think is a nod to Gyllenhaal avoiding Swift's big occasion back then.
The celebrity factor aside, it's a powerful character portrait as the couple clearly love each other, but know they hurt one another. From Her not wanting to take his calls to Him walking lonely alleys and moving on, it feels like they're soulmates who may not be destined to be in love, but who should still be friends at least. It nods a lot to the likes of Dawson's Creek, Master of None, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and The Half of It, showing that romance isn't the only ingredient relationships need to survive on.
But "All Too Well: The Short Film" falls apart at the end in the time-jump when Her becomes an accomplished novelist and does a public reading. Him's spying in from the store window, only for a red-headed Swift to appear as Her. Now, this may be autobiographical but it comes off cheesy, cheap and tacky, as Swift looks nothing like the freckled Sink. This short prides itself on authenticity and relatability so make-up artists could have been used or even another older actress.
It takes away from the artistic, auteur feel of "All Too Well: The Short Film," coming off like a promotional video, and well, marketing from Swift. Had she just cut out her cameo, it'd have felt more genuine and less about ego. Plus, seeing Sink and O'Brien older and meeting each other, rather than Him walking away as Her gets her crowning press moment, would also have fit the genre and narrative better.
It'd have been an emotive cliffhanger for faces viewers are already connected with, left fans imagining what they said and also, crafted room for a sequel, musically and visually. Instead, Swift's cameo, the lack of reunion and forcing Her into the role of victor doesn't have the intended sentimentality, devaluing a love story for fans and non-fans alike.