Music

Taylor Swift premieres All Too Well short film with performance of 10-minute version of song that inspired it

The singer — who wrote, directed, and starred in the project — called us up again just to break us like a promise.

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Published on November 12, 2021 05:39PM EST

Fall is the perfect time for plaid-shirt days and scarf-worthy nights — a fact that Taylor Swift, who's releasing both Red (Taylor's Version) and her All Too Well short film today, knows, well, all too well.

Not content to simply unveil the rerecorded take on her hit 2012 album and be this weekend's Saturday Night Live musical guest, the singer also debuted the film, which she wrote and directed for the much-anticipated 10-minute version of her fan-favorite Red ballad, at a New York City premiere event Friday afternoon.

Before presenting the film at AMC Lincoln Square 13 in Manhattan's Upper West Side (as any Swiftie knows, 13 is the singer's favorite number), she briefly took to the stage, explaining why she chose to make a film for "All Too Well."

"A record label didn't pick this song as a single," she said. "We never made a video for it. This was a song that started out as a simple track 5. It was my favorite. It was about something very personal to me. It was very hard to perform it live. Now for me, honestly, this song is 100 percent about us and for you."

Taylor Swift at the 'All Too Well' short film premiere in New York. ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Swift then thanked fans for empowering her to rerelease Red the way she originally wanted to. "You guys turned a hard thing into a very, very wonderful experience that now we're going through the second time," she said. "All of this is happening because you made this happen."

She added that the short film was an expression of her gratitude and part of "an entire cinematic universe" around "All Too Well," before encouraging fans as they watched it to "Feel your feelings!" To drive this point home, she gestured to the packets of tissues emblazoned with the words All Too Well that audience members were given at the event.

All Too Well: The Short Film stars Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) and Dylan O'Brien (Teen Wolf), who play a troubled couple. We see their romance blossom, but also how fractured it is before it eventually falls apart.

The movie features several scenes drawn directly from lyrics in "All Too Well": Sink's character leaves her scarf at O'Brien's character's sister's house, the lovers go on an upstate getaway, they can be seen dancing in the kitchen in the glow of the refrigerator light, and O'Brien's character cracks jokes with his girlfriend's father (the last image pulls from lyrics found in the new longer take of "All Too Well").

Swift also appears in the film when it flash-forwards 13 years, playing the older version of Sink's character. She is now an author who has written a book called All Too Well and is giving a reading of it that O'Brien's character sees through the window.

After the film screened, Sink and O'Brien showed up to gush over their involvement in the project.

"This was such a surreal experience from beginning to end," said Sink.

"Taylor, you're a genius and the most beautiful person ever," added O'Brien. "This is a dream… this is really special. I'm still reeling. I can't believe it. Thank you for letting me be a part of it."

Swift then capped the event by treating the audience to a surprise unplugged rendition of the new 10-minute "All Too Well," marking the first time she has performed it live.

Swift announced the film last week with a short teaser showing a vintage car driving down a road flanked by autumn leaves (falling down like pieces into place). "Remember it," she captioned the footage, alluding to the song's refrain.

A few days later, she shared an image of Sink and O'Brien embracing in what could be that same vehicle. Swift also hinted at Easter eggs in the short film, commenting on a fan's TikTok post that pointed out that the car in the clip was made in 1989, which is the namesake year of Swift's fifth studio album. "Can't stop won't stop being cryptic and weird-that's just the beginning it's gonna be a fun week," she wrote.

The 30-track Red (Taylor's Version), with bonus songs from the vault featuring musicians like Ed Sheeran and Phoebe Bridgers, is out now.

All Too Well: The Short Film premieres on YouTube at 7 p.m. ET tonight, and you can watch in the player above once it does. Just be sure to wear your best scarves for the occasion.

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