Taylor Swift’s brutally beautiful take on toxic relationships
Taylor Swift’s directorial debut sparks genuine emotions as the lyrics, music and colour tone perfectly encapsulate the memory of a long-lost love
Some music feels like an old cardigan that keeps us warm while reminding us of someone who once wrapped us in the warmth of love. Taylor Swift's latest musical short film, which is also her directorial debut, took us down a similar path.
In Taylor's latest musical 'All Too Well', she once again showed her solicitude towards expressing emotions through singing, writing and, as a bonus, directing.
Few people can dive as poetically into the catastrophic aspects of a relationship as she can and the beautiful visuals earned her a few brownie points.
The musical
The plot of 'All Too Well' may seem a bit dystopian at first, but it is an ode to the reality of many women.
Starting from the thrill of the honeymoon phase to recovery from a heartbroken night, the entire process of falling in and out of love is intricately represented in her 13-minute-long short film.
The icing on the cake was the extended cut of Taylor's 'All Too Well', which is originally from her fourth studio album 'Red' (2012).
The musical short starred Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien, who are shown to have a significant age difference - just like Taylor and her previous lover.
Throughout the musical, the mood of the film can only be described as melancholic - a reddish-brown colour profile, although it begins with a ray of optimism and love.
This phase of the relationship was named 'The Upstate Escape'.
Among different phases, the most intense part begins from 'The First Crack In The Glass', where the glass is a metaphor for the relationship.
The small moments of negligence turns into a gaslighted fight but the wounded heart does not want to give up easily as it yearns for more love.
The fight scenes of 'All Too Well' bear resemblance to similar scenes from films such as 'Marriage Story', 'Before Midnight', etc.
The impeccable acting by Sadie and Dylan helps the audience to profoundly relate to these moments.
Setting aside the harsh parts, Sadie and Dylan's on-screen romance was incredible and does not fail to make your heart flutter.
The brick-red toned cinematography was a perfect fit for the titular song as well.
The subtle makeover to enhance the similarities between the onscreen couple (Sadie and Dylan) and the former real-life couple (Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhal) was done perfectly.
At the end of the short, Taylor surprised the audience with a cameo visit.
This musical short wrecks our hearts while giving us the strength to move on. Heartbreaks can change a person for the better and Taylor proved it again with her poetic portrayal of a toxic relationship.
The music
Taylor Swift has been enchanting us through her music since the late 2000s. From the romantic country tracks such as 'Our Song' to the emotion-packed songs such as 'Exile', her evolution over the years has made us fall in love with her even more.
The ending of a relationship may sound emotionally draining. Taylor's breakup, however, resulted in a melodious surprise for 'Swifties'.
Taylor dated Jake Gyllenhaal almost ten years ago. 'All Too Well' has helped us better understand the reasons behind their separation. People have even grown a grudge against Jake, as we are witnessing netizens asking him to return Taylor's red scarf.
But this musical short could not have been perfect without the impeccable storytelling that was told through the song 'All Too Well'.
The song initially feels like a burning candle that represents the passionate love between a couple but with each passing minute, the fire burns hotter and we begin to relate to the pain of an abandoned heart.
The song naturally changes its pace and the lyrics become incredibly catchy with no time. Not to mention the writing, which proved that Taylor goes beyond the boundaries of her brilliance every time.
The lyrics "Wind in my hair, I was there, I remember it all too well…" acts as a reminder that both good and bad coexist in everyone's memories.
The musical successfully used memories as a metaphor to stir our souls. This wonderfully directed musical made listeners believe that the verses of this song will be remembered by us for a long time.
