Sia issued a slew of apologies with the release of her latest project, a feature film titled Music, after receiving criticism for the film’s portrayal of the autistic community, restraint scenes, and Sia’s choice to cast neurotypical actor Maddie Ziegler. Sia directed Music in addition to writing and performing ten original songs for the movie. The film earned two Golden Globe Nominations for Best Picture and Best Actress (Kate Hudson), prompting a Twitter user upset that caused Sia to delete her account.
Sia has been receiving backlash and engaging in debates over Music‘s portrayal of autism for months. In November, Twitter users thoroughly debated if Sia’s choice to cast Maddie Ziegler as the lead of her film and her use of terms like “special abilities” instead of “disabled” were coming from a place of privilege or ignorance. Sia responded, stating, “the movie is both a love letter to caregivers and to the autism community. I have my own unique view of the community and felt it is underrepresented and compelled to make it. If that makes me a shit, I’m a shit, but my intentions are awesome.” For many, the comment fueled the fire and prompted a petition of over 17,000 signatures calling for the film’s cancellation. Hannah Marshall, who created the petition and is autistic herself, stated, “I am asking that this film is canceled. It is extremely offensive to myself and other autistic individuals. Sia has shown no remorse for her inaccurate and hurtful betrayal of the community.“
Sia responded to the film’s criticism and feedback with a slightly different tone after its nomination for two Golden Globes. The musician showed remorse and apologized via Twitter in a slew of tweets (deleted an hour later, but captured by Variety) that articulated she wants to listen to the feedback the film’s received. Sia’s tweets read:
I’m sorry. MUSIC in no way condones or recommends the use of restraint on autistic people. There are autistic occupational therapists that specialize in sensory processing who can be consulted to explain safe ways to provide proprioceptive, deep-pressure feedback to help w meltdown safety. I plan to remove the restraint scenes from all future printings. I listened to the wrong people and that is my responsibility, my research was clearly not thorough enough, not wide enough.
Sia admitting to listening “to the wrong people” is a significant first step in addressing the core problem. The singer further apologized for her initial reactions on social media in an interview on SiriusXM, sharing, “I have to admit to being ableist to a degree; I’m not proud of it. I’ve learned my lesson.” Music seems to be at a point of divide between the institution and the individual. Music garnered potential success at the Golden Globes and received “Thank You’s” from some National Council for Severe Autism members.
Retrospectively, criticism from thousands of individuals continues to flood into the Twitter-sphere, making it somewhat difficult to paint a picture of the film’s overarching success or failure in the near future. Ultimately, Sia says she’s trying to adjust the movie accordingly before its scheduled release in select theaters on February 10th. Some viewers may come to Music empathy, arguing it’s better late than never for Sia to make changes to the film. Still, others might say Sia’s realizations came at the expense of much-needed representation for neurodivergent individuals.
