Taylor Swift has premiered All Too Well: The Short Film, a fifteen-minute visual accompanying the re-recorded version of the fan-favorite deep cut from her 2012 album Red.
Starring Dylan O’ Brien (Teen Wolf, The Maze Runner) and Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink, the emotional film, written and directed by Swift herself, follows a similar narrative to the song itself, telling the story of a short, intense yet troubled love affair between two people with a considerable age gap between them.
Swift makes a cameo towards the end of the film, appearing as an older version of Sink’s character 13 years after the events of the main story.
Before its general release on YouTube on Friday evening, a selection of lucky fans were invited to its premiere at the AMC Lincoln Square 13 (chosen for having the same number of screens as Swift’s favorite number) in New York City.
All wearing red (naturally), they were each handed ‘All Too Well’ branded tissues on their way in. They were encouraged to cheer and sing along by Swift herself, who later performed the 10-minute version of ‘All Too Well’ after the film ended on a red guitar.
Addressing the crowd before the titles started rolling, Swift thanked attendees for helping her to create a “cinematic universe” around the song, despite it not being chosen as a single when the original Red was released. “For me personally, this song is one hundred percent about us and you,” she said.
Red: Taylor’s Version, the second album Swift has re-recorded since she lost the rights to her masters, was released yesterday. Alongside re-recorded versions of the songs from the deluxe version of the original Red, the album showcases several new songs, including collaborations with Chris Stapleton on ‘I Bet You Think About Me’ and Phoebe Bridgers on ‘Nothing New’.