Music

Autism is not a frequent theme in cinema except in memorable and successful films such as Rain Man (1989) (magitral duet camped by Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman), Forrest Gump (1994) but also Code Mercury (1998), and more recently Hors Norme (2019) and Mr Wolff (2016). Each one of these films by their approach, as different as it is, has been able to show the many difficulties encountered in social interactions for these people affected by this neurodevelopmental disorder. The approach of Sia's first film seems to pose some controversy and to encounter some difficulties of perception, as it approaches autism in a different way and by its form mixing two different realities can shock as well as surprise. Far from proposing a Hollywood treatment of autism, Music is constantly surprising but it does reveal a unique gift for staging memorable musical pieces.

The film therefore presents Music (Maddie Ziegler), a young autistic girl living with her grandmother in an apartment. When her grandmother dies, Music's half sister Zu (Kate Hudson), who has just come out of rehab, is appointed legal guardian. But Zu, who lives as a drug dealer in the upper parts of the city and is in financial debt, tries to get rid of Music as quickly as possible. However, little by little, Zu's behavior will change regarding his half sister and especially, his meeting with Ebo (Leslie Odom Jr.) a boxing coach and apartment neighbor will forever change his world and instill certain moral values in him. After having directed several music videos for her own musical compositions (Chandelier (2014), Elastic Heart (2015), Big Girls Cry (2015), The Greatest (2016)) with Maddie Ziegler, Sia offers her a real compositional role but also extends her musical universe by offering her a new setting, that of a musical film mixing two universes.

Approaching the theme of autism in cinema proves to be difficult, as some people do not distinguish between our reality and the one portrayed by a film. Music is in no way a biopic, nor does it use autism as a selling point for a film. On the contrary, the co-screenwriter and director Sia delivers here a very personal film and the presence of Maddie Ziegler as if she were in some way her double (as is the case in her numerous music videos) is perceptible throughout the story. Sia thus delivers us a film in perfect continuity with the universe of her music videos and this is partly why the numerous musical and dreamlike sequences in the film are real music videos and are the strength of this film. We thus find her choreographies as beautiful as they are inventive and once again we can only be under the spell of Maddie Ziegler who turns out to be a gifted dancer as the numerous music videos of Sia have already shown. In this clipesque universe, Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr. also find their places and deliver us excellent scenes to see and see again.

Yet director Sia seems more skillful at staging this musical universe than in the representation of the real world and in particular seems to have some misunderstandings about how we can help an autistic person (some rather strong scenes are thus controversial in the United States and Australia). When Zu tries to control some of her half-sister's excesses, she doesn't do it totally well, but it is easy to understand that Zu is not used to taking responsibility nor knows how to manage her half-sister's troubles. Yet the music will create a real strong emotional bond between Music and Zu and above all Ebo's precious help will show them the way forward. Once again Music easily scores points with the memorable presence of Maddie Ziegler who really brings her character to life. She is always at the center of the story and her role is the most important to not only keep the audience's attention but also to bring us into the world of Music.

Music reveals itself as an ambitious first film because, while extending and adapting to cinema, Sia has proposed her own approach and feeling for autism and has perfectly grasped its complexity. Shot in 2017, this film will have taken more than three before being offered in the United States on video on demand, since most cinemas are closed (as in France). Note that the film's excellent music is also available in Sia's new album which was released at the same time as this film in the United States and includes the potential hits Together, Hey Boy, Music and 1+1.

Finally, it should be noted that at the 78th edition of the Golden Globe Awards, the film was nominated in the category of Best Film - Musical or Action Film, and Kate Hudson was nominated in the category of Best Actress - Musical or Action Film.

Music
Directed by Sia
Produced by Sia, Vincent Landay
Screenplay by Sia; Dallas Clayton
Story by Sia
Starring Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr., Maddie Ziegler
Music by Sia, Labrinth, Craig DeLeon
Cinematography: Sebastian Winterø
Edited by Matt Chessé, Curtiss Clayton, Dana Congdon
Production companies : Landay Entertainment, Pineapple Lasagne, HanWay Films, Atlantic Films, Crush Pictures
Distributed by HanWay Films, Vertical Entertainment (United States), Originals Factory (France)
Release date: January 14, 2021 (Australia), February 12, 2021 (United States), March 29, 2021 (France)
Running time: 107 minutes

Viewed February 12

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