The Tribeca Film Festival started this past week and, while it’s mostly focused on upcoming projects, pop star Taylor Swift held a screening of her short film All Too Well which was released late last year. The film, based on Swift’s song of the same name, starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien captured the hearts of Swifties everywhere. As a part of the screening, the singer-songwriter held a half-hour conversation about filmmaking with writer-director Mike Mills, with Sink and O’Brien making surprise appearances during the discussion.
The pair covered a wide range of topics including the challenges female directors face, Swift’s creative process, and what brought her to directing. Swift talked about how she got the itch for directing when she was not able to own her work. Any Swiftie knows what she’s referring to when she says that. In 2020, Scooter Braun purchased Big Machine Label Group which controlled most of Swift’s master recordings. This meant that she had no control over most of her discography. In response to this, Swift has started re-releasing her first six albums dubbed “Taylor’s Version” starting with Fearless and Red.
Swift talked about the time leading up to the release of her short film saying, “It was a very hard time for me. A lot of my hardest moments and moments of extreme grief or loss were galvanized into what my life looks like now.” The song, All Too Well, is rumored to be about another tough time in the singer's life involving her relationship with actor Jake Gyllenhaal. However, the focus was all on Swift’s process behind the camera. They also talked about the now-iconic fight scene between Sink and O’Brien’s characters in the film which was revealed to be mostly improvised. “We repeat ourselves – we go in circles, you know, but that’s what makes it”, O'Brien said. Swift added to that saying, “The other person isn’t hearing you say it, so you say it this way. Maybe you say it louder… You’re trying to be heard. It’s the failure to communicate.” Swift is sounding like a seasoned filmmaker here and that emotional repetition/experimentation can definitely be felt in the final product.
However, fans always want to know what their favorite filmmakers are doing next. Swifties are no different. Mills specifically asked Swift if she would like to direct a feature film in the future. “I would love to,” Swift said and continued on saying , “It would be so fantastic to write and direct something.” This should have many fans screaming as Swift already has a vast library of stories in her rich music history to choose from if she decides to go down that route. The singer alluded that it would most likely be a human-level story like All Too Well if she does indeed direct again.
Whether it’s songs like "Love Story", "Wildest Dreams", "No Body, No Crime", or "Betty", there are so many Swift songs prime for the cinematic treatment. A feature version of All Too Well would be welcome too as the short felt like a living proof of concept with Sink and O’Brien having great on-screen chemistry. As such, it’s hard to imagine any Swiftie complaining if that in fact happens. Especially given the loud ovation both actors got when they surprised everyone on stage.
Swift, throughout her career, has had an impeccable talent for emotionally charged storytelling. All Too Well felt like that next natural evolutionary step in Swift’s career. In her conversation with Mills, Swift talked writing about girlhood saying, “I’m very fascinated…with this phase of becoming a young woman, where you're at this very fragile and vulnerable age.” Expect more of that in the singer’s future, and you can watch that full part of the interview down below.
The Swift cinematic universe could be upon us very soon. While we wait for that joyful time, you can rewatch All Too Well on Swift’s YouTube channel. You can also watch parts of Swift’s conversation with Mills down below on Variety's and THR's Twitter.