Why to avoid Sia’s film ‘Music’

Elise Fjelstad, Copy Editor

In Nov. 2020, Sia released the trailer for her movie, “Music,” about an autistic girl named Music (Maddie Ziegler) who comes under the care of her older half-sister Zu (Kate Hudson). The film was released on Feb. 10, 2021 and has most recently been nominated for two Golden Globes. Here’s why that’s a problem, and why you shouldn’t see it.

Surface-level, the making and release of this movie should be a good thing. Autistic female representation in Hollywood is sorely lacking, and autistic characters usually exist as a plot device to help the protagonist’s development. Unfortunately, “Music” still plays into stereotypes and other harmful tropes.

First, Ziegler is a neurotypical actress portraying a neurodiverse, non-verbal character. While I don’t think this is the biggest issue, it’s important to note that only autistic people can fully understand the autistic experience. There is also no autistic input behind the screen either, which means that inaccuracies and a harmful portrayal based on a neurotypical lens, are inevitable.

According to multiple critics’ reviews, Music as a character lacks any sort of depth, and the whole movie resides on the premise that Music’s autism somehow “traps” her from being a full human being. This pushes the idea that autism is a deadly disease that can be separated from the individual, when for many autistic folks, it is an intrinsic part of who they are.

Media shapes us and our perceptions of other people, so when it comes to marginalized groups it’s especially important to be critical of what we make and consume. Sia’s representation of autism caters to the neurotypical gaze and does nothing but add to demeaning assumptions people already have about it.

When the first trailer was released, autistic advocates on Twitter tried to call Sia out for not taking in any autistic input for the movie. She lashed right back, saying that they should just be “grateful” she made a movie for them, taking on a problematic savior complex rather than being a true accountable ally.

Sia also stated that she worked with Autism Speaks on the film, which if she had consulted with any actual autistic people, she would know is an organization that most in the community regard as rather abhorrent. Most of their money goes towards research for an autism “cure” despite protestations that working towards access and acceptance is more important to autistic people than eradicating autism. Autism Speaks features virtually no autistic leadership, and spurs the narrative that autism is a true tragedy to befall a child or family. This only creates further stigma about autism, and therefore Autism Speaks is far from a good source about the autistic experience.

One scene of the movie leaked in January shows Music being held down by a prone restraint. This is a full-body restraint technique that should only be used as an absolute last resort, when there is a very serious risk of physical harm to the person or others. According to an article by the Washington Post, autistic children have died from unnecessary use of this restraint, and survivors exhibit signs of lasting trauma. Sia did put a warning label on the film, but only after receiving backlash and asking for the scene to be taken out altogether.

“Music” was made by neurotypical people, for neurotypical people. Sia made it clear she didn’t truly care about autistic people when she refused to listen to autistic voices. Instead of being like Sia, be a real ally and do not support this movie.