MUSIC: How Is Autism Still Misused In Movies?

Why are we still doing this? Aren’t we past this? Hasn’t culture evolved to a point where autism is given better representation? We’ve come so far in trying to push back against homophobia, transphobia, racism, and sexism in film. But here we are again, once more saddled with another ableist film.

So why are we going backward with autism?

In 2019, we had The Fanatic, a thriller where the killer is an obsessed movie fan with autism, complete with a bad haircut and meltdowns that turn deadly violent. In 2020, we had The Night Clerk, where a hotel security guard secretly videotapes occupants and this is blamed on his autism. And now, in 2021, we have Music, which treats autism as an exaggerated prop and promotes disgusting stereotypes and dangerous misinformation.

That’s three years in a row. Three years of some of the worst depictions of autism I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen it all, including the horrendous film Molly where a woman with autism has it cured and literally proclaims herself an “irregular retard”. That is quite the achievement in ableism and Music just happens to be the worst of the three.

So where to start with Music?

Music follows the story of the non-verbal autistic girl Music (Maddie Ziegler) and it takes only a few seconds for this film to stumble with portraying her condition. Music starts the familiar autism trait of stimming with physical movement but this movement is then transitioned into a music video. She continues to stim while her exaggerated motions are treated as eccentric dance moves, crafting the confounding narrative that stimming isn’t a form of coping but an artistic expression.

The inciting incident of the film is that Music’s grandmother/caregiver dies and Music doesn’t seem to take notice of the body. This revives the tired misconception that those with autism are incapable of empathy and don’t take full notice of others they care about. This could not be further from the truth and the work that’s been done to disprove this notion has been going on for years.

With Music now in need of a caregiver, she is placed in the care of Kazu (Kate Hudson), Music’s half-sister who is a recovering drug dealer. Kazu is not skilled in handling Music and does not know how to handle her behaviors, stimming, and reactions. But that’s okay for her since apparently nobody knows how to properly handle her either.

Music and Misinformation

Music’s neighbor of Ebo (Leslie Odom Jr.) stops by to let Kazu in on how to handle Music. Or, rather, how to hold her down when she starts having anxiety, a practice that is absolutely harmful and not recommended by the medical community. Ebo’s reasoning for this action is that he’s smothering her with love, a hideous excuse that the film frames as being correct.

There’s some drug deals that go down and a tough call by Kazu to decide whether or not to leave Music in an adoption center. When all is said and done, however, the story is ultimately a cliche platform of being comfortable with yourself, used as an excuse for Sia’s stylish music videos that are interspersed throughout. Oh, and Sia is there as well for a self-slandering cameo that manages to be one of the most tone-deaf self-owns I’ve seen in a film.

I’m finding it really hard to talk about this film on a technical level since so much of its horrendous character depictions all but obliterate its stylish allure. Sure, the music videos are elaborate displays and play well enough on their own. Kate Hudson gives a decent performance but Maddie Ziegler’s portrayal of autism is deeply troubling for how much is gotten wrong and how much her mannerisms are exaggerated to the point of disgusting parody. It’s no wonder why Ziegler felt uncomfortable with such a role when it seems that the bulk of Sia’s research was watching YouTube videos.

The Controversy

In addition to tripping all over the portrayal of autism, the film also features tired depictions of people of color. Ebo is framed as the stereotype of the magical negro who seems to only exist for the benefit of the protagonist. Another neighbor, Felix, is only present as the silent Asian character who later dies for no reason other than to appear going off into the afterlife in one of the many tasteless musical dreams.

Music is one of those films that constantly makes you ask why. Why are we still portraying autism this way? Why is this film falling into such tropes that should’ve been retired years ago? Why did this film come about as a result of years of research that Sia put into it? And why was it nominated for a Golden Globe?

The problems with such a picture were written on the walls before its debut. Or, rather, written on social media. The casting of Maddie Ziegler drew criticism from the autism community for casting somebody neurotypical for the role. Irish actress Bronagh Waugh asked this question and continued by saying “It’s pretty offensive the way you’ve chosen to portray this character. People with disabilities are not broken and don’t need fixing.”

Sia had two troubling responses to this and the mounting questioning of problematic choices in filming. One was slander: “Maybe you’re just a bad actor.” And the other was just cussing out those questioning: “F***ity f*** why don’t you watch my film before you judge it?” This behavior was so bad even Autism Speaks had to disassociate from her and not advocate for the film’s portrayal of autism. And with Autism Speaks already being a pretty scummy organization recognized by the autism community, that’s saying something.

There’s a whole lot of conflicting voices on this ranging on everything from denouncements by autism organizations to the reactionary responses of those declaring Sia a victim of cancel culture. For whatever it may be worth, Sia seems to be learning, albeit after making some serious mistakes in using autism as a prop for her act. She has stated she is sorry for her reaction and that the film would be preceded by a warning along with scenes involving restraints being removed from the film.

But is that even enough? The film was still nominated for a Golden Globe, a nomination she did not fight to be taken down. The movie has already been made and its very core is so putrid with its depictions of autism and race that no amount of editing and snipping can possibly save this picture from being less of a disaster. The damage has been done, especially in terms of ableism which is already spinning wildly out of control in the last few years when it comes to autism.

Conclusion: Music

Music is more than just a trainwreck of Sia’s first frustrating attempt at a feature film. It’s a film that represents the depressing realization of just how misinformed the public still is about autism and how dangerous the misinformation in media is turning out to be. As somebody with autism, Music is just another piece of the puzzle in forming the gross picture of ableism, placed with good intentions or lack of insight. Sia has stated she spent three years researching autism for this movie. She needed a fourth.

What did you think of Music? Were you just as shocked at the film’s depiction of autism and race? Let us know in the comments below.

Music was released VOB on February 12, 2021.

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