Tatiana von Bothmer '23
With a whopping 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, Sia’s new movie Music is scheduled for release in theaters on February 10, 2021.
Vertical Entertainment
"It is difficult to create a work of art on something you will never know. Even with Sia’s authentic resources, her portrayal of an autistic girl in Music may be perceived as inappropriate. These opinions are welcome as the disabled community has unique experiences that no neurotypical person could ever understand."
This PG-13 drama-musical explores themes of creating family and expressing your true self through the story of a newly sober woman who’s left to be the sole caretaker of her autistic teenage half-sister, Music. At first glance, the film may be seen as a heartwarming, sweet story that pushes boundaries, but the backlash from the autistic community argues otherwise. While critics debate Sia’s ableist production choices, the pop star continues to defend her directorial debut.
Ever since the November release of the trailer for Music, Sia has received angry reactions from the autistic community: Her casting choices are ableist. Sia chose to hire Maddie Ziegler--most famously known from the hit reality show Dance Moms--as the title character. Ziegler has had a close professional relationship with Sia and has been her “star” ever since the singer’s first hit music video. The issue is that Ziegler herself is not on the autism spectrum, and therefore does not have the authenticity to play the part. To put it plainly, a non-autistic actor playing an autistic character is offensive. In The Guardian’s “Music Review - Sia’s Controversial Film About Autism Lacks Coherence and Authenticity” in January of 2021, journalist Luke Buckmaster offers that “Ziegler simply does not have the gravitas and authenticity required to make a role like this work.” Ziegler lacks the personal experience to portray a young autistic girl, being neurotypical herself, and can not deliver the seriousness this role needs. Because Sia admitted this choice as nepotism, it was clearly wrong to favor Ziegler when an authentic actor could have been hired instead. Many Twitter users found hiring Ziegler was a “missed opportunity to hire someone from an underrepresented community,” as stated in Today’s “Sia Responds To Criticism After Casting Maddie Ziegler As Teen With Autism In New Film,” written by Callahan Chrissy in November of 2020. It can be difficult for autistic people to participate in film, but this would have been the perfect chance to include someone from their community.
Critics also disapprove of Sia’s production choices, specifically the portrayal of the title character. The representation of Music is incredibly stereotypical. In the same article, Chrissy included a tweet from an autistic actor and writer, stating, “It's incredibly frustrating to see the same terrible, stereotypical narratives and characters over and over, to see only neurotypical people tell a warped version of our stories.” Maddie's portrayal is "stereotypical" and is a "warped version" of reality. She does not do the community justice. Moreover, allegedly in the upcoming movie, the phrase “special abilities” is used in place of the word “disabilities.” Autism is, in fact, a disability, and by refusing to say that, but rather using the word “special,” Sia stigmatizes autism. Finally, Sia herself has had a continuous partnership with Autism Speaks. This organization is disapproved of because it “speaks” for the autistic community without having any actual autistic leadership themselves. This partnership as well as her production and casting choices have led the film to be perceived as ableist.
Regardless of concerns and criticisms, Sia defends her film choices. She claims she spent three years researching and had two advisors on the autistic spectrum with her throughout her movie’s creation. In People Magazine’s “Sia Explains Casting Maddie Ziegler As Character on Autism Spectrum: ‘Can’t Do A Project Without Her,’'' published in January of 2020, journalist Benjamin VanHoose displays Sia’s response to a tweet critiquing her casting choices. Sia said that “casting someone at (Music’s) level of functioning was cruel, not kind, so I made the executive decision that we would do our best to lovingly represent the community." She and her advisors felt it wouldn’t be compassionate to hire someone autistic because the production process might be too stressful. Sia also claims that she initially did cast an autistic actor, but had her replaced because the pressures were too high. In addition, the pop star mentioned that the protagonist was based on her autistic friend and that she was able to teach Ziegler some habits that he would do to make the portrayal more realistic. It appears Sia had no intent to stereotype her autistic lead, Music, but she still has to face the negative impacts of her casting and production choices.
No matter what criticism Sia received from the release of her film’s trailer, many responses via Twitter were widely inappropriate. In the same Today article, when one tweet from an autistic actor stated Sia had “zero effort to include anyone who is actually autistic,” Sia replied, “maybe you’re just a bad actor.” Although the criticism opposes Sia’s claims, her response was far too harsh. Those who are not autistic have no place to comment on how the autistic community reacts to the film’s portrayal of their disability. In other responses, she curses and offends Twitter users. One would think she might handle this more professionally as a well-known pop star, but her tweets prove otherwise. In NME’s “Sia Reflects On Responding To Criticism Of Her Film ‘Music,’” Sia reflects on her reaction after the fact. She says, “Looking back, I should have just shut up; I know that now.” Even though Sia may be upset with opinions on her directorial debut, her replies need to remain respectful and professional.
It is difficult to create a work of art on something you will never know. Even with Sia’s authentic resources, her portrayal of an autistic girl in Music may be perceived as inappropriate. These opinions are welcome as the disabled community has unique experiences that no neurotypical person could ever understand.
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