All Too Well: Music Videos as Cinema
Swifties rejoice! Taylor Swift has fed her kingdom once more, this time with the re-release of her 2012 album Red. Earlier this year, Swift released Fearless (Taylor’s Version), a re-recording of all the songs on the original 2008 album as well as unreleased “From the Vault” songs that were written at the time of the original album. These new re-recordings of Swift’s albums, affectionately called “Taylor’s Version,” are in response to her discography being sold to Scooter Braun without her permission or control. Now, fans get to listen to Red (Taylor’s Version), with tons of unreleased songs and the long-anticipated ten minute version of Swift’s magnum opus, “All Too Well.”
But that’s not all. In addition to the album, Swift wrote and directed a short film for “All Too Well (Ten Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)”- yes, that is the full name of the song. Shot by cinematographer Rina Yang, All Too Well: The Short Film stars Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien, of Stranger Things and Teen Wolf fame respectively. They play what most have concluded to be Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal, who Swift dated back in 2010 when she was twenty years old and he was twenty-nine. The short film follows the relationship of Sink and O’Brien’s characters, from the romantically idealistic beginning stages of their relationship to the tumultuous downfall and heartbreak. Mostly set to the song, there are two scenes of dialogue. The first is at the very beginning, with Sink and O’Brien lying together in bed as Sink laments that O’Brien seems too good to be true. The second takes place halfway-through, cutting the song midway. The pair get into a fight about O’Brien’s lack of care and attention towards Sink. In the end, the fight ends with Sink apologizing for causing the fight as opposed to O’Brien taking real accountability for his toxic behavior. It’s a heartbreaking scene that fans everywhere, of all ages, have said to be relatable in their own relationships. Ultimately, All Too Well: The Short Film poignantly shows the story of a young girl who hurts and grows from her unhealthy but loving relationship with an older man.
Taylor Swift is just the latest in musicians experimenting with the film medium. Beyonce’s Lemonade and Black Is King are visual albums, in which the music videos of each album tie together into a storyline. The Weeknd released a short film called After Hours to lead up to his album release. Lana Del Rey wrote and starred in a short film titled Tropico, which was set to some of Del Rey’s songs from her Paradise album. Musicians have also transitioned to acting or writing in films that are external from their music- take Cher in Moonstruck, David Bowie in The Labyrinth, or even Taylor Swift in Cats and Valentine’s Day. The line between musician and actor is blurry and always has been.
At what point, though, do music videos become short films themselves? Are they a type of short film already? Lots of music videos have a story, a standard many use to dictate whether a music video is a short film or not. But not all short films have a story. Experimental short films often do not have a narrative element to them. I believe that what differentiates a music video and a short film is the intent of it- if the film is most important and the music is there to strengthen it, then it is a short film. If the music is most important and the filmmaking is there to strengthen it, then it is a music video. Works like All Too Well: The Short Film and Beyonce’s Lemonade transcend these two distinctions because the music and the filmmaking are equal in their importance and go hand in hand, even though you can listen to the music individually. This experimentation with the form of a music video shows the future of the art form and music as a whole, as these artists continue to break the mold for what a music video could be.
Cover Photo by IMDb. Edited by Katrina Kwok.
