Taylor Swift begins her latest masterpiece with the quote, “Love is so short, forgetting is so long” by Pablo Neruda, and it encapsulates what the rest her of film will look like. She dives deep into her own personal experiences, yet Swift manages to connect her lyrics and the film’s intense scenes to each and every person watching.

The film tells the story of Swift’s 10 minute version of All Too Well, a song that she now owns, and portrays her vision for the piece. Throughout the film, Swift is telling a story about two lovers who eventually break up and the woman goes through a journey of dealing with the heartbreak and healing over the course of a couple years.

Shot on 35mm film, the piece has a familiar feel to the audience as it follows the characters’ developing relationship. It is written and directed by Taylor Swift and stars strong actors like Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink with Swift herself even making an appearance towards the end of the film. Released on November 12 of this year, fans were extremely excited to see what Swift had come up with for her short film. They were not disappointed, as she created a masterpiece that shows not just her ability to write beautiful lyrics, but also her potential as a well-rounded artist.

Taylor Swift showed off her artistry in one particular scene when she emphasized the warmth and innocence of the girl and the coldness surrounding the man while they dance in “the refrigerator light.” The contrast between the two very different people along with the correspondence of the lyrics and the images in the film showed the reality of what relationships can be like. Viewers watched a happy relationship slowly turn into a destructive one and each part of the film flowed into the next portion.

Although the film is over 10 minutes long, it does not feel overly long because of the story Swift is telling and the way each part connects to the next. The audience sees the young woman sobbing, devastated over her relationship ending, but then they see her begin to come out of her sadness. She starts to write and work on a novel and the film flows from the happy relationship to the aftermath of it. The story does not jump from one event to the next but moves through every part of the affair.

The film is based off of Swift’s own experiences but it resonates to everyone who has been in a troubled relationship and have felt those deep feelings. She even included symbolism in the form of a scarf, like an author would incorporate into a novel, so that each audience member would be able to connect it to their own story. When the boyfriend keeps the scarf she left behind, it is like he is keeping a part of her and she will never forget their time together. In doing this, viewers can draw their own conclusions and relate the symbol to their own relationships.

The artistry that Taylor Swift displays not only with her song writing, but now with her filmmaking is truly spectacular. The shift from security and happiness within a relationship to the insecurity and brokenness at the end of it connects to a wide range of viewers. Her clever lyricism mixed with her well thought-out vision produces a masterpiece for new and old fans.

Ultimately, people need  to see Swift’s film because of her entrance as an artist rather than just a singer/songwriter. She refuses to be shoved into one box and instead can maneuver her way into all different categories, with her latest title being filmmaker. There is no doubt that Taylor Swift is continuing her climb to the top as a singer, songwriter, filmmaker, and all-around artist and no person (or man) will be able to stop her. Life is short, but Taylor Swift’s career will certainly be long.