Top Ten Problems with Sia's Movie Music

Restraining is when someone is having a meltdown and someone pins them to the floor. Right off the bat, you can tell this isn't a good method and either shouldn't be used at all or should be used only as a last resort (and even then, it depends on the person). In the movie, it is shown to calm Music down, which doesn't make sense at all. Imagine someone pinning you down and applying all their pressure on you. This method can also be lethal. A 16-year-old boy named Eric Parsa died last year after being held in a prone restraint and sat on. This method shouldn't be encouraged at all, but this movie shows it as a good thing to do.

There are more victims: Max Benson, Corey Foster, Faith Finley, and many more. Since this movie was made to spread awareness about autism, showing a widely condemned and potentially lethal method to handle breakdowns is irresponsible.

Unlike the submission above, this is different from her playing Music. Sia told Maddie about the project when Maddie was 11, and they started filming when she was 14. She was a minor that entire time, and Maddie even broke down because she didn't want to risk offending anyone. May I remind you she was under a contract and had a bunch of adults telling her this was alright, along with her mother supporting this and Sia's creepy relationship with her.

I should mention something else about the breakdown: An actual autistic actor was fired by Sia because "she was too stressed," yet Maddie had several breakdowns, and Sia thought this was alright.

Update: The autistic actor firing was a lie made up by Sia. In a pretty old interview (two or three years ago), Sia said she wrote a script for Maddie to star in and that she couldn't create art without Maddie.

If the movie's focus wasn't autism, this wouldn't have been a problem. But since the whole movie's purpose is about autism, it actually IS a problem. Also, before Sia deleted her Twitter, multiple autistic actors claimed to have reached out to her, saying they could act as Music on short notice, only to be told by Sia herself that they were bad actors.

If you're going to make a movie about autism, maybe actually have an autistic person act as the autistic character? Another thing I noticed was the tics. As someone with tics, it seemed more like mocking tics.

This might not seem bad to people, but lots of people with autism are sensitive to certain sounds and visuals (at least that's what I know). How can you make a movie for a certain demographic when it contains things they cannot handle?

The actor Leslie Odom Jr. (famous for playing Aaron Burr in the musical Hamilton) also sadly played a role in this movie. He played a side character named Ebo, who was from a village. There are plenty of major cities in Africa. It's strange that many characters who are African are from a village (unless it's during certain time periods).

Getting straight to the point, Music has no actual character to her. Her whole character just seemed like a stepping stone for Zu and Ebo's characters. Honestly, I'm not even surprised that Sia couldn't write Music. In an interview, she agreed with the interviewer who said nonverbal autistic people might as well be inanimate objects like a wig.

If you're making a movie about a specific condition, maybe do some actual research? Sia obviously did not, despite her claims of three years of research. It seems like this so-called research was just her googling "Autism" every few months and thinking it was enough for an entire film.

Another problem I should mention is that before Sia deleted her Twitter, she actually cited Autism Speaks as a source. Anyone with access to Google can tell that Autism Speaks is FAR from a reliable source for research on autism. Just googling the name will show recommendations such as "Autism Speaks problematic." Sia even refuses to say the word "autism." She calls autistic people "gifted" or "low-functioning." "Low-functioning" was a term used by Nazis to describe mentally disabled children, not a very smart move (the term low-functioning came from Hans Asperger).

The facial expressions and body movements seem more and more like a mockery of the community, which leads back to the issue of a neurotypical person playing Music. It doesn't just stop at ableism. The character Maddie was portraying was a mixed-race girl, which means Sia had to darken Maddie's skin, along with using stereotypical box braid headphones. Yikes, Sia.

Not very surprising from Hollywood to only sniff out the cash or the opportunity to make themselves look better. This movie is basically: "Hey, look at us! We're being aware of autistic people!" But in reality, they aren't. They could care less. They don't actually include people with autism. They want to make it about themselves to look like knights in shining armor. This is like the creators of "13RW" making themselves seem good for bringing up depression and suicide.

For those of you who have or have not heard about Sia's new film, Music, I'm going to give a quick explanation. It's about a young girl named Music who has nonverbal autism and does everyday things like most people do. However, the condition is stereotyped for many horrible reasons. Sia shows a lack of research on autism because she thinks it's a disease that needs to be cured.

No one deserves to be judged or stereotyped for who they are. They are beautiful, unique, special, and creative in their own way. We autistic people are the way we are, and nothing's going to stop us from being ourselves. Chase your dreams, and if you fall, keep getting back up and never give up.

This is why I choose Autism Acceptance over Autism Awareness. Autism Speaks is a danger to society and the autistic community. Like many of the Sia fans, I also used to look up to her. Well, not anymore. I deeply sympathize with those who feel betrayed by Sia.