At the Tribeca Film Festival, Taylor Swift surprised fans with surprise guests and energy performance of All Too Well, as well as a serious half-hour chat about film and television with writer-director Mike Mills.
She and Mills discussed a variety of subjects after a showing of her short movie All Too Well (played to her lengthened edition of the title song on the re-recorded edition of the song Red released last year). They discussed the hurdles for female filmmakers, the in and outs of teamwork, and the endeavor to highlight a pair’s “failure to communicate” in addition to the short. The primary duo in All Too Well, Sadie Sink & Dylan O’Brien, were not scheduled to attend the afternoon, but they were dragged onstage for the second half.
She demonstrated a seriousness about the craft of cinematography as well as the unfailing tendencies of a popular artist, praising John Cassavetes and explaining her “secret-agent-y” tactics of purposely maintaining the privacy of cast and crew. Swift gave a nod to a narrative video Mills created for The National’s “I Am Easy to Find” (whose musician, Aaron Dessner, has recently been a crucial associate with Swift), but she did it in an accessible way. She said, “It influenced me in ways I can’t possibly overstate.” “We are both parts of the Aaron Dessner cinematic world!” she added.
Throughout the 90-minute performance, the Beacon Theatre’s sold-out crowd erupted in applause. Mills joked about the concert-like atmosphere onstage, saying, “I’m going to be so unhappy when I introduce my work and they don’t do this,” waving to the audience. Swift then sarcastically disagreed, inquiring about Mills’ most recent motion picture with the audience. “Has anyone seen C’mon C’mon?” she inquired. “I’m having an out-of-body experience,” Mills marveled when they let out a loud and protracted shout.
Swift performed “All Too Well,” performing and playing acoustic guitar, as the last twist for an event that was promoted as a chat event. She had previously stated that the lengthier version was only created because of the demand from fans.
“F–k the patriarchy!” she said when she reached a vital line. — the sing-along in the crowd reached its maximum volume.
