Sia’s ‘Music’ is unique and harmless
Photo courtesy of USA Today
Before “Music,” a film directed by singer-songwriter Sia Kate Isobelle Furler, better known simply as “Sia,” was even released, people had already written it off. The controversy around the film appeared reasonable and even noble at first, as the film features an autistic character who is not played by an autistic actor.
But as the controversy raged on, it appeared, at least from my perspective as someone with autism, that the people who were upset with the movie did not actually care about good representation. Instead, they assumed that because autism was being portrayed by a neurotypical person, or someone without a mental disorder, it was automatically going to be an inaccurate representation. However, if people had simply waited and watched the film from a less prejudicial standpoint, they would have found that it artfully shows autism in a new, creative light, portraying the disorder well.
The film centers around the titular character Music (Maddie Ziegler), an autistic girl living in Los Angeles with her grandmother Millie (Mary Kay Place). Music’s character is a very special addition to the portrayal of autism in film, as the disorder manifests very differently in girls. There are very few female autistic characters in films, lending light to a corner of the autism community that seldom sees representation. As someone who has been in and out of special needs classes, I’ve known girls very similar to Music and can speak to the film’s authenticity.
The plot of the film kicks into action when Millie dies, leaving Music in the care of her half-sister Kazu (Kate Hudson), a recently sober drug dealer struggling to pay off her debts. Kazu has no idea how to take care of Music, showing the difficulty caregivers often face when adjusting to an autistic person’s needs. Luckily, Kazu has Music’s neighbor Ebo (Leslie Odom Jr.) who shows her how to take care of Music – using real techniques known to help calm down autistic individuals, like applying pressure to their body, or as Ebo calls it, “crushing her with my love.”
The film is interspersed with colorful, abstract music videos featuring the characters at key moments, showing how Music sees the world. This shows how being autistic is often artsy, exaggerated and kind of ridiculous. The bright colors in these segments are a beautiful metaphor for how people with autism tend to be sensitive to light. The complex choreography shows how it can sometimes feel: everyone moving at a different pace as Music goes her own way. It would be odd if one failed to mention the music of “Music,” made up of Sia’s songs that add to the story in a way not typically seen in musical movies.
In short, the plot of “Music” is emotional and compelling, the songs are amazingly catchy and the cinematography, especially in the music video segments, is a sight to behold. It is shocking that the autism community, at least on social media, so wholly rejected the film before even seeing it.
This is a bit hypocritical, considering that there are many other autistic characters played by neurotypical actors who hardly saw any controversy and are praised to this day. This includes Dustin Hoffman in “Rain Man,” Leonardo DiCaprio in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” Phillip Seymour Hoffman in “Mary and Max” and Danny Pudi in “Community,” to name a few. There is hardly anything different about Maddie Ziegler’s performance in “Music,” making the controversy seem entirely unfounded – especially since she plays the character so well.
Hopefully, as the controversy fades into the background, more people will take a closer look at Sia’s latest musical venture and judge it on its own merits instead of assuming bad intentions.
