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Sia’s new movie, Music, has been subjected to harsh criticism from the autistic community and various critics alike.
Music is Sia’s directorial debut, but it is not off to a good start. Her movie stars Maddie Ziegler as a neuro-atypical girl, but this casting choice is just one of several problems from the film.
Much of the criticism of the film has to do with how Ziegler, who is neuro-typical, depicts her character. In the film, Ziegler is seen making facial expressions and movements common to people who have autism. The autistic community has considered this a mockery to the people who make these expressions naturally and is actually a part of their everyday lives. Ziegler’s depiction of these things, despite the intentions of the film, as well as Sia claiming that she researched caricatures of nonverbal autistics, is still ableist.
Gaby Estabrooks, a member of the autistic community, commented on this aspect of the film and how problematic it is. “They can learn as much as they want about it but, it’s not the same as experiencing it.”
Sia was additionally called out for not casting someone who is on the spectrum, with members of the community informing her that autistic actors aren’t a rare thing like many people would assume. In
response, Sia tweeted that she did attempt to work with a nonverbal autistic actress but said that the girl thought the experience “was stressful and unpleasant” which led her to cast Ziegler instead.
Sia herself remarked that not only was this ableism but also nepotism since she is Zieglers God-mother. Estabrooks spoke on ableism saying “We live a harder life than most people because we live in a world where things aren’t built for us.” She also commented on how some people still continue to look at autistic people as beneath them and not people who just see the world in a different way.
One of the biggest issues with the film is a scene where Ziegler’s character Music is shown to be having a meltdown and is restrained by being held down and laid on top of. This has been met with overwhelming outrage from members of the autistic community. This form of restraint has been shown to cause death and has killed people with autism when used.
The restraint act depicted in the film is also the same restraint technique that killed George Floyd. Members of the autistic community have been speaking out against this scene saying how dangerous the restraint itself is, but also the fact that it could normalize an extremely dangerous thing.
Estabrooks remarked: “I think part of the problem is that a lot of parents with autistic kids will watch this movie and think that is how they should treat their child.” She also spoke on the fact that the decision to have a restraint used further creates a problem where people look at meltdowns as a scene that needs to be stopped, rather than a person in distress who should be helped.
Additionally, Sia partnered with Autism Speaks to help promote the movie, which has come under controversy despite being an advocacy organization. The organization sought a “cure” for autism, which while abandoned in 2016 does not dismiss the fact that by looking for a cure they see autism as a disease when in fact, it is simply the brain having been wired differently. Attached below is an infographic detailing some of the problems with the organization.
Gaby is also a creator on TikTok who makes educational videos about having autism, it can be found here. Another creator Paige Layale who makes videos on the topic as well can be found here
By Lucas McCarthy
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