Sia Music Movie Review By Autistic Person (So You Don't Need To)

If you want to know what an autistic person thinks of Sia's Music Movie then look no further! Here is my Sia Music Movie Review which is by an autistic person so if you're autistic, you don't need to watch this movie. We talk about Maddie Ziegler's portrayal of this autistic character, the restraint scenes as well as giving my thoughts on Sia's apology and golden globe nominations for this autism movie.
If you are unaware of the sia controversy up to this point, check out my previous videos:
📌 Why Autistic People Are Mad With Sia? Sia Music Movie Backlash!: • Why Autistic People Ar...
📌 Sia Music Movie - Sia Speaks Out About Autism Movie Backlash: • Sia Music Movie - Sia ...
Other Autistic KZbinrs talking about Sia Music Movie:
The Aspie World:
Sia Admitting She Was Wrong: • SIA Movie AUTISM Admit...
Sia Music Movie Bad For Autism: • Sia Music Movie BAD FO...
Princess Aspien / Chloe Hayden:
An Autistic Reaction to 'Music' By Sia: • AN AUTISTIC REACTION T...
Sia Movie Is Out: • SIA'S MOVIE IS OUT... ...
Paige Layle:
SIA'S MOVIE MUSIC | An Autistic's Opinion: • SIA'S MOVIE MUSIC | An...
Other references:
BBC Article: www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainm...
Maddie Interview: www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...
Sia Responds To Autism Movie Backlash: www.glamour.com/story/sia-res...
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ABOUT ME
Hello indie people, I'm Andy and I have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). I make videos on autism from the perspective of an autistic adult. Sharing my autism experiences to help other autistic people and autism families to improve their understanding of autism.
This channel is focused on raising autism awareness & acceptance of autism. To try and change attitudes towards autism, to educate people about autism for those who are new to the autism world.
So if you are on the spectrum, know someone with autism, or are working professionally in the autism field and want to learn more about autistic people then consider subscribing and turning on the notification bell to see all future videos.
#siamusic #indieandy #autistic

[@IndieAndy]

Hi indie people! Just to make this video more digestable for people, I've timestamped the sections of interest for you so I do cover multiple points. But if you liked this video, hit the like button and thank you also for 10,000 subscribers! Intro: 0:00 - 0:56 Backstory of the controversy, Sia's Apology & Golden Globe Nominations: 0:56 - 5:01 Start of review: 5:01 - 10:24 Trigger warning conversation: 10:24 - 11:04 Discussing the restraint scenes (TW - I describe what happens only in the film but this a trigger warning for those who need it): 11:04 - 15:34 The accessibility of the film - 15:34 - 17:20 My thoughts of Maddie Zelgiers performance: 17:20 - 20:55 Response to people who say "It's actors just acting": 20:55 - 24:23

[@BubbleArcadia]

I am so grateful to this video..as a survivor of child abuse all becuase of my severe autism you've got a new subscriber

[@Garrison_the_Barbarian]

Andy, your anger at this film is 100% valid. I applaud you for watching it so the rest of us don't have to. Thank you for making this video.

[@JadeDRail]

That badge joke cracked me up. XD

[@IndieAndy]

Thanks for the merch suggestion guys :D

[@JadeDRail]

@@IndieAndy *cough cough* you need a designer for that?

[@IndieAndy]

Haha let's not make things too obvious eh? 🤣

[@UnapologeticFranchfries]

I was gonna say the same! 😂

[@Flareontoast]

The way restraint is portayed in the movie is just..big yikes. When you described the first scene it made me feel queasy. It sucks so bad that allistics still think that restraining autistics is the first thing they should do to calm them down. There are even resources for sensory distractions and other techniques to help autistic people! If someone cough-cough-Sia-cough really did their research it was simply bad research. Also. If someone lay on me, pushed me down and restrained me without my consent I would panic. I like pressure as a stim as much as many other autistics but only on my own terms.

[@75maxdv35]

"crushed her with my love"... for goodness sake, you wouldn't "kill someone with love" would you? how does doing something with "love" make it ok? to be honest, i'm scared to watch this movie after i've heard that they got Maddie to watch meltdown videos to "improve her acting"

[@NoelleMar]

I can understand why this line was so upsetting since 1) it’s clearly an unmistakable endorsement of that technique, and 2) it sounds incredibly abusive and gaslighting. “I’m only hurting you because I love you,” as though it’s for the persons own good and they deserve it.

[@IndieAndy]

See I was saying to someone else in the comments that I'm really against restraints. But if it's needed then it's an absolute last resort. But in the film's vase, it jumps from 0 to 100mph in seconds. I know it'll be to make it dramatic but it's just sickening.

[@randomagon5123]

Gives "kill them with kindness" a whole new meaning...

[@larissabrglum3856]

I'm reminded of how people who hit their kids justify it by saying they "do it with love."

[@m-pc5334]

Someone should call child services on Music’s caretakers if they’re gonna sit on her and call it love

[@danielleforrest2763]

Maddie’s portrayal wasn’t relaxed, natural. She’s stiff throughout the scenes I’ve seen, awkward. I think her discomfort with and fear of mocking autistic people came through in her acting, probably making her acting worse, which wouldn’t have been great to begin with because of a lack of decent access to resources.

[@IndieAndy]

Hmm maybe but also something else to consider is that at certain points, you can see her doing actions where she's having issues. Some autistics like Music tries to portray can have issues with motor skills like picking things up etc c. But Maddie is able bodied and it's obvious that she is as she goes from having issues to then being able to do it. An autistic actor may of had issues doing this portrayal with the motor skills but I think if Sia did her research then it would have made the character more believable.

[@JadeDRail]

My parents actually had to restrain me as a kid because I would go in full meltdown and hit myself or hit my head on the floor and yeah it's not fun. You should never restrain someone unless they're actually hurting someone or themselves.

[@JadeDRail]

Now that I heard about the scene, I think it is okay to stop someone from hitting themselves but you don't pin the person down like that what the heck. If they're seriously hitting themselves you takes their hands or you take them like a hug so they can't use their arms. (It's just my perspective as someone who has been in that position. I am glad I was stopped from hurting myself. There are ways to stop someone from hitting themselves without violently pinning them down)

[@NoelleMar]

@@JadeDRail yeah honestly hearing about the restraint scene sounded bad enough but hearing about it in more detail was just reallllly weird since it’s clearly a learned and trained way of doing something like that to someone. Sia then defended it as a trained person can put prioceptive input (I forget the name of that sense! Probably misspelled), but... as far as I know, you generally do not calm the person down by giving them all that input. At that point it’s usually too late!! And the person needs something else. And that’s not the same as preventing someone from harming themselves as you said. She was framing it as a medical / therapeutic intervention. -_- ofc she deleted her whole Twitter so.

[@JadeDRail]

@@NoelleMar Yeah that is awful, you should definitely try to calm someone down before restraining them. My parents had to so because my doctor told them they had too. (I would bash my head on the floor so it was a concussion risk). But if there isn`t a risk of serious injury, physical intervention isn`t needed.

[@IndieAndy]

Yeah like I don't like the idea of restraining someone in general but it should always be last resort!

[@Larry_Stylinson]

Now that you mentioned this I actually realised why that scene makes me feel disgusted and gets me to dissociate just thinking about it. My mother used to pin me down like that - before anyone in my family knew that me and my brother are autistic. And my mother isn't a dainty woman by any means. It was extremely distressing and I could barely breathe. Strangely I never really connected the dots until now... They really should have shown a proper way to calm Music down instead of this life threatening technique. There are for sure better ways to help Music. My son is only a little bit over 1 1/2 years old and likes to smack his hit head against the wall, floor or any other hard surface but I offer him alternative ways or put cushions under his head if I really can't stop him from doing it. I'd never hold him down like that...

[@theresamk6236]

Someone held my autistic sister down once with her full body weight and she was never allowed around my family again. Now, sure, I sometimes held her hands to pry them out of her hair, or off of some liquid-filled container that she was about to throw. But literally the restraint in this movie was entirely unsafe, unnecessary, and set a horrible example. So bad. If you can't write decent practices, then at least portray the bad ones as bad. Maybe there can be a restraint scene. But let's call it harmful and dangerous and have the people doing it get reeducated and feel guilty.

[@IndieAndy]

See I think if there was some education on how to do that safely then I wouldn't have an issue. I'm against restraining people but if it's a last resort then it has to be done right you know.

[@theresamk6236]

@@IndieAndy I completely agree

[@theresamk6236]

@@IndieAndy Actually, some doctors prescribed braces to restrain my sister with and I thought that wasn't okay. Like, if she can't handle having clothes on, how the heck is it okay to put arm braces on her...just to keep her clothes on her? How is that necessary or helpful? Sorry; I ranted. What do you think of braces or orthotics as restraints though?

[@DVDandFilmBloke]

How the hell did this get a Golden Globe nomination? Given the film has received such poor reviews, even from critics who aren't part of the autism community (as far as I can tell), such as Mark Kermode (one of the few professional critics I like), his review is a must watch. Oh right, it's an issue film and all issue films receive awards regardless of quality, if a film ticks off all the boxes then it's going to win an award regardless of quality while actually good films get ignored, I mean let's face it only a small number of best picture winners are regarded as classics or are actually memorable.

[@DVDandFilmBloke]

I know I'm going to sound like a conspiracy nut (and I have no evidence of this so I actually don't believe this myself) but I believe Sia slipped cash under the desk at the Golden Globes.

[@NoelleMar]

@@DVDandFilmBloke I’m guessing it has to do with it being a musical, and colorful, art direction blah blah. Maybe no one watched it but still nominated it lol.

[@DVDandFilmBloke]

​@@NoelleMar I'm not sure what the criteria for the Golden Globes is when compared to the Oscars because the Oscars tend to nominate issue films or period dramas. But I think you could be right, I think it is a combination of your suggestion and the fact it is an issue film (killing two birds with one stone). You should never take award ceremonies seriously because they just look at what boxes the film ticks, critics at least watch the movies they review. Back in 1980 Stanley Kubrick got nominated for Worst Director at the Razzies for The Shining (proof they don't watch the movies they choose).

[@NoelleMar]

@@DVDandFilmBloke An article in the LA Times that just came out discusses the apparently notorious corruption in the Golden Globes sooooo sounds like you are completely correct re Sia. The article I think centered around Emily in Paris bafflingly getting GG nominations, but someone on Twitter pointed out it could also apply to Music’s. Edit: the article mentioned Music too. I didn’t finish it, but Emily in Paris, and it’s extravagant treatment of people voting in the GG, was used as an example. I May Destroy You, which was widely praised, didn’t get nominated at all supposedly.

[@DVDandFilmBloke]

​@@NoelleMar Oh my god, it was just a theory but damn. I mean award ceremony's for movies are bollocks anyway but the fact that Music got a nomination for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (and not on technicalities like Art Direction or Cinematography which I don't think anyone would take issue with) is extremely sketchy, especially considering the amount of negative reviews the film has received (not just from the AS community). I brought up The Shining being nominated for a Razzie back in 1980 but that film at the time got poor reviews from critics, who were too busy comparing it to the book or just plain didn't get it, (which is a whole controversy with the Razzies because they tent to just focus on what the critics say).

[@ShinePaw101]

I'm an Autistic woman who also has an auto-immune disorder so as protest I've been telling *everyone* I know not to watch this movie. Especially my really sensitive Autistic friends (it seems I was the last one to learn of the movie) But I'm now feeling good enough to watch reviews of this movie. The stuff said AROUND this movie makes me so mad (though quite fun to meme about) I'd love to turn into Spider Woman- what super hero would you like your 'special abilities' to be like? Anyway thank you for braving this movie for the rest of us!

[@ShinePaw101]

I got sick for a few years due to my auto-immune disorder (as mentioned before) and my WORST fear- was being hospitalized due to being restrained. I don't like being TOUCHED when I'm having a melt-down other than by those I trust- who at the time is really only my mom.

[@aspiewithattitude3213]

The way I look at it is all about Sia's egoism and narcissism. I know what's it like with some hand full of diva pop stars, they get too big then they spill out with controversy.

[@AlexCarson]

So, I already rented the film before seeing you upload this video and seeing the title because I'm planning on covering the film on my channel so I guess we're in this together now. But also, I'm just really glad that I have content creator friends who've been speaking about autism representation in media because of Music (2021) and for that I'm happy :,) ALSO CONGRATS ON 10,000 KZbin Subscribers!! Let's GOOOO!!!

[@IndieAndy]

Aww hi Alex! To be honest I would love to know your thoughts and hope you do make the video on it as honestly the more voices in the conversation the better!

[@karleyloree9338]

Great video, Andy. Glad I don’t need to watch the film myself. It sounds even worse than I though. It will be a sad day if that garbage actually wins awards of any kind.

[@IndieAndy]

Thanks Karley! Honestly I did not expect it to be as sad as what it was. I mean I was hopeful it would have been ok at the very least but it's just not. If this wins awards then what I said in the video will be proven right :(

[@NoelleMar]

@@IndieAndy I think that if it doesn’t win awards etc, it will be in large thanks to autistic advocates speaking up about it. Sure reviewers said it was terrible, but I think everyone was way more alert to how problematic and even dangerous it was because of all the naysayers and reviewers like yourself heh.

[@JadeDRail]

I'm not a creeper I just happened to get the notification as it posted lol.

[@IndieAndy]

To be honest it helps videos greatly as it tells KZbin that my rambles are worth watching :D So I appreciate it!

[@JadeDRail]

@@IndieAndy I know I used to feel bad about it then I realised it feeds into the algorithm and helps creators so now I don't hold back! XD

[@75maxdv35]

congrats on 10k by the way!

[@IndieAndy]

Aww thank you so much :D I thought it was never going to happen honestly :P

[@randomagon5123]

I'm autistic, and I saw the movie. I though it was decent, plot wise and everything. Just I think having grown up watching Maddie on dance moms it was hard for me to see her then portray a non-speaking autistic person with high support needs. Also some of the colors and lights flashing were a lot, I mean essentially sia intended this film to be "a love letter" for autistics so I expected her to cater more to her audience. It was probably her artistic vision and whatnot. Even-so the film didn't do a lot with the autistic character, I mean they never even say she's autistic, just "magical". Which is kinda dumb because you shouldn't have to say that a disabled person is "magical" to ensure that they are seen in a positive light. Autistic people aren't broken. The movie is really just focused on how the responsibility of Music's existence impacts the people fumbling through life around her. For that reason I would say this movie is more aimed at care-takers. Which is what it is, I mean yeah representation, but that's not really who sia was aiming the movie at so that's off. Furthermore, the musical bits felt like a fever dream, and the "perfect ending" felt like inspiration porn. So overall I'd say that's that. Not really worth watching.

[@thebotbuilder]

Personally I am very offended by this movie as it overall just harms the portrayal of Autism in general media, at times I was getting vibes from the "I have Autism," comercial. It is truly a shame as there have been some really good Autism characters in the media but this film is almost like it is trying to take tones of steps back!

[@MagdalenaRay61]

I’ve been waiting for this review since the film came out. Me and other autistics who spoke up about the problems with this movie are absolutely in the right. The only word I have to describe this film offensive.

[@MagdalenaRay61]

@@sylvan6415 exactly

[@NoelleMar]

@@MagdalenaRay61 I assume Sia only now backtracked because non autistic people saw her movie sooooooooo

[@MagdalenaRay61]

@@NoelleMar yeah, Sia is an ableist, and I think her career as a musician let alone an entertainer is going to be over after this film. And I couldn’t be happier because all ableist actions that are harmful to the disability community deserve punishments if the person doesn’t try to learn before they cause chaos. To change the famous phrase, a good ableist always goes down with their fit. She’s going to crash and burn hard after this movie.

[@IndieAndy]

Sadly despite this, I doubt her career will end over it.

[@MagdalenaRay61]

@@IndieAndy oh well, I guess this won’t teach her anything because she’s an entitled ableist.

[@rev.jesseabelchristianlife6693]

Ugh! That restraint scene is horrible. My Father used to beat me without mercy as a kid because I was different & had unknown autism. 💔🙏

[@rev.jesseabelchristianlife6693]

Aint nobody restrainin me‼️🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣✅ .... they threatened to send me away to an old victorian mental ward as a kid because of my unkown Autism. Eye roll. 🙄 🙏 🙏 🙏

[@gayhomosexuallll]

I agree it's important to hear how ableism and particularly autism is treated in different cultures, the fact that she used her Black 'Magical N**gro' character as the one who speaks to this in *his* culture when we can just as well have that conversation with Christianity or Westernized cultures in the country where this story is set undercuts that.

[@GamingWithJazz]

I watched a different reviewer and they pointed out now no one made of Music's 'stims' and said it was not correct because if anyone sees us stim in public we will be mocked. They saw it as everyone accepting Music but in reality no one accepts us like that.

[@deanogrey7871]

Hi Indie I'm not at all surprised by your review, i Have ASD and watched a documentary about Chris Packham who has autism and went to America to first hand how they treated autistic people who gave a view as to try and cure them from autism, and Chris and myself was shocked, big thanks for this i for one won't see this as, see you soon,👋

[@colleenhowe5035]

Fair play to you for sitting through the whole film. I imagine this video was not an easy one to make. You did a great job though. 👍

[@IndieAndy]

Thank you Colleen!

[@phoenixlikethebird142]

(I haven’t watched it and I don’t want to due to that I am autistic and I don’t want to give Sia any amount of money just to watch a film I don’t feel comfortable watching ) but I I’m going to watch som reviews of it because I want to see different points of views

[@itisntevenagoodone]

I was in a restraint once and I can honestly say that was one of the most traumatising nights of my life

[@ShadOfDeth]

I've only seen some clips of a musical part and what I saw set me off in a sensory manner. It was too much to process at once and I had to take over an hour of being alone in a dark room to calm down from it. I agree that is film wasn't intented for autistic people but more for those caring for autistic people and those who don't know much about autism in general.

[@gauntlettolife833]

I have a lot of respect for your opinion & your review of the movie. First of all in your videos about the upcoming film you were respectful & had an open mind which is important. Now after hearing your review I will not watch it as your review was comprehensive enough in explaining "why" it was so bad, well that's enough for me! Thank You for the time you put into this video ( it must have been quite taxing ) a golden Globe nomination? Clearly the "committee" has not researched the outcry from the autistic community? It still astounds me to this day that so many allistic people say & feel justified to "oh, it wasn't meant to be offensive" in other words if as an autistic person we say "we are offended" we are seen as the problem not the people who offend?! For example if a white person was in a role as an "African" that would be offensive!!! How is this Movie any different? Congratulations on 10K Andy 👌🙋‍♀️👌 Your channel is one I watch consistently & I appreciate what you do to shine a light & awareness in a real way. Good on you 👍

[@HaruDoneYet]

If you are sensitive to child abuse/neglect, restraining or just upsetting material in general I suggest skipping this comment. I have ASD, OCD, ADD, depression, and I was just recently diagnosed with PTSD due to childhood neglect and abuse. While I haven't seen the movie, the clips and descriptions of scenes honestly remind me of my childhood. For instance I remember many times my mother would break down and even talk about sending me away. She never actually did but as a small child it's rather distressing to think that at any time you might just be shipped off to some unknown place. I also had a few instances of restraining ranging from grabbing my arms to a full on restraint similar to described in the movie. My mother had an abusive monster of an ex and one night I had a meltdown, tried to leave the house to simply cool down but when I got to the door he grabbed me and slammed me to the floor, pinned me down and yelled at me all while I was kicking and screaming because now I had an adult man ontop of me and I unable to escape ontop of a meltdown. As soon as my back hit the floor I felt just an immediate feeling of helplessness which only got worse as my arms were pinned. He later tried to justify this action as not wanting me to go out and get myself hurt. I firmly to this day believe it was just an excuse to take out his frustration on me. The guy was an abuser of both people and animals, a thief and just a bad person. I find it really sad that I'm able to see similarities between my abuse and this movie that's supposed to be viewed as positive and award worthy.

[@DVDandFilmBloke]

(I've not seen the movie and I don't want to) but the only time I believe restraint scenes are acceptable is if the film clearly doesn't endorse it and it clearly shows the person performing the restraints is in the wrong. As far as I can tell the movie doesn't do that so it is irresponsible.

[@IndieAndy]

Yeah I mean I'm against restraints in any context and should only be used as an absolute last resort to prevent the person hurting themselves or other people. But I was so angry because it was the first thing that Zu and Ebo (characters in the film) did to calm Music down. Even if there was an education on how it was wrong then I would have been "ok that's fair enough, yes the scene happened but at least there's education for the audience watching".

[@DVDandFilmBloke]

@@IndieAndy Yeah, I completely agree with you. In the context of the movie at least show the emotional or physical damage it has done to Music, and treat it the same way as a murder or a rape scene. But of course I don't trust Sia to make something deep.

[@BLOOPEN]

This movie was terrible. You could take music(the character) out and the movie wouldn't change a bit. Hell, I was diagnosed with asd at 19, but this movie insulted me not just as an autistic adult, but as a person who likes good movies. If I was a kid and saw this it would have been so much harder for me to accept myself as autistic.

[@Maerahn]

That is the one thing I HATE that people say in response to complaints about films that crap all over certain disabilities/disorders "Oh, it's a just a movie, chill out - we all know it's not real!" NO. They can SHUT UP with that crap. It's just a shorthand statement for "How dare you try to make me feel guilty for loving this film because I know jack-all about the real issues of the people it mocks, and don't even care enough to find out?" I heard the same thing from people I know when I complained about the movie 'Split' and its HORRIBLE misrepresentation of people with Identity Disorders. They can claim all they like that they 'know it's not real' when they watch those movies - but that doesn't stop them treating those people with the featured disabilities/disorders like freaks to be avoided when they meet them in real life, and directly BECAUSE all they know about those conditions IS from watching garbage like that.

[@andrewrudd402]

The Golden Globe nominations are a joke. It can be called a 'successful' film and therefore come 'recommended'. I just hope that it doesn't become a film 'to watch' for those studying Autism or those who need a 'guide' to Autism. This could become the new 'Rain Man', in terms of what people think when Autism is mentioned, and with restraint scenes & bright lights, that could be bad for the Autistic community.

[@IndieAndy]

Yeah I agree with you on the use of this film after all the issues raised with it. I just hope people can listen to us enough to see the issues.

[@baileyheaton7087]

I understand some scenes comes across as restrains some ranges of autism proprioceptive input looks distinctive to calm the person down and the scene saying love to an high school age character is inappropriate

[@IndieAndy]

Yeah I get what you mean but the scenes weren't for giving music input and were just not appropriate.

[@Boornesfavoriter.]

I am autistic, and I unfortently had to see the movie for my job, since I do movie review, I dragged it. I pointed out everything bad about it I could.

[@ninavale.]

I just read the description of this movie...and like I get extreme situations but how does one make a movie where the best option for...anyone not even disabled is to give any custody to Zu? Because for one she's unemployed, so how the frig is she going to take care of anyone? Disabled or not? I'm not even going to touch on the drug dealer in debt stuff, because that sounds like an episode of Law and Order, rather than a bright musical drama.

[@Miyu88]

I haven't seen the film, but I have heard so many things and watched so many videos describing how bad it was.... I don't think I WANT to! Just hearing all the crap Sia posted on her twitter, (And reading some cause some videos included screncaps) made me sick... but hearing about the restraint scenes in great detail (and the one line the guy says while holding Music down sounds wrong and SUPER CREEPY!), and not have a trigger warning in the begging of the film (and, sadly, seeing one of them from a previous review) I.... I just wanted to throw up! I hope this film gets no awards for this. I'm sorry you had to watch the movie, But Thank you for giving us this review so we can avoid it. I do hope you watched some cute or funny videos to help calm you down. And I have a feeling your fiance helped you calm down as well. Have an awesome weekend!

[@incoglido]

I haven't seen this yet, so i'm hesitant to give my opinion, but I also can't see myself spending $7 based on what I've seen and heard. Seems like they did just enough research to incorporate some ideas. Like the whole "crush her with love" thing I guess came from discussions of aspies liking compression blankets and such for their calming affects. Pinning someone's arms back over there head would clearly do the opposite (I would think. never been restrained here). I guess the director thought some ironic point on "good restraint" could be made and it fell short. Clearly this movie was made for NTs and really over simplified the autistic condition, which is a shame because I think it could have been made for both. Seems to be a case where Sia had a VISION and just mainly cared about pushing it through, and came to the conclusion too early that she knew all she needed on the subject. Having said all that, as Andy inferred, I think the plot had this movie doomed before the screenplay was even started because the plot line is so basic and over done, that even with great direction this would've been a boring tedious film.

[@svvndus]

I hate the names too, in this context they feel super kitschy and cringe

[@riolureviews5204]

I'll probably watch it anyways since movies just happen to be my special interest. And Autism has given me a more critical eye so...........

[@tatemitchell1479]

On a lighter note, if anyone would like to see some positive and extremely accurate autistic representation in film, I highly recommend watching Snow Cake (2005). Sigourney Weaver portrays an adult autistic woman whose daughter has to care for her. Alan Rickman is actually the main character, who is intolerant at first but he soon grows to appreciate and understand the autistic woman’s needs. I’m doing my best not to give spoilers because it’s just an outstanding movie. Sigourney apparently spent a full year living in the same house as a moderately autistic woman in preparation for the role, and you can tell she took NOTES. It’s overall the best movie to feature an autistic character that I’ve ever seen in my life. It can be found online on those illegal websites but it’s well worth trying to escape the viruses haha!

[@elisakrivas]

I love your badge! Where can I get one? Will my psychologist who diagnosed me give me one if I ask nicely?

[@demianlylux5749]

When is the flashing in the movie? I am also autistic and have seizures. I want to see how bad it is. I am a advocate for Autistic people.

[@IndieAndy]

It's at various points in the movie where there's dance/singing sequences.

[@demianlylux5749]

@@IndieAndy Thank you for letting me know. I will try to watch it with very much percussion if I watch it. I very much appreciate you replying. I are an amazing KZbinr, and have inspired me to get the testing I was offered many years ago and couldn't take due to things in my life.

[@fred-youtube]

put @anotherautisticblonde into tiktok and look at the top of her bio for a p!rate link to the movie

[@DVDandFilmBloke]

Music thankfully didn't win any of it's Golden Globe nominations but it did win 3 of it's 4 Razzie nominations (it only lost worst picture to Absolute Proof but hey-ho, unlike the subject matter of Absolute Proof, I'm not going to complain and claim the Razzies were rigged). This really puts Sia's "Maybe your just a bad actor" comment into perspective and it's now comedy gold (but not for the reason Sia and her supporters wanted it to be).

[@TheRemaine1]

The badge though 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🙈🥰

[@games_bond7221]

I didn't even know Maddie Ziegler played a part oh my gosh...

[@mimilopmemes7915]

restraints are one of the worst things you can go through imo. i'm not autistic but i have some mental health issues and i've been restrained once or twice, it was terrifying. it 100% made it worse because then i was panicking on top of everything else. i can't see any way restraint could benefit a situation.

[@DVDandFilmBloke]

8:41 That scene can honestly be looked at in 2 ways weather Sia intended it or not. On one hand it does bring up the way other cultures view autism and how horrible a lot of them are, but on the other hand it doesn't really paint it in a negative light, it's more "Yeah, it happens but what you gonna do?" instead of "This is not right, and things need to change". Ebo was kind of relieved that his brother is no longer on the planet so he doesn't have to suffer. For some viewers that could be viewed as autism is "something that needs to be cured" because "people with it are suffering", changing the individuals because there wrong rather than changing society. Also not gonna lie, I cracked up when Ebo said "He's dead now" because it came right out of left field and he said it so nonchalantly I couldn't help it (the line is actually pretty funny out of context), to be fair I'm a sick individual so who knows. Also Sia claimed the restraint scenes would be removed from future pressings, the problem is it's a digital release, she could have just replaced the version on streaming with the censored copy. It's not like the olden days when you had to recall prints from cinemas and physically cut the offending footage out of the film or like 2 million DVD copies have been pressed, packed up and sent off to stores so it's harder to track down uncensored copies. Actually I'm surprised the UK's film classification board the BBFC didn't cut the restraint scenes out. In there current guidelines at the 18 level (the movie was rated 12 so it only makes it worse) they said adults should have the right to choose there own entertainment unless it is considered illegal or dangerous, I'm pretty sure prone restraints could be viewed as dangerous. Also I find it odd that the BBFC still feel the need to cut scenes of real animal cruelty from movies made 40 odd years ago and yet movies promoting dangerous behaviour are fine (Don't get me wrong, I'm against animal cruelty, it's just I find the boards priorities a bit off). In addition I was a little miffed by Sia's cameo. It's not uncommon for directors to make cameo's in there own work, Alfred Hitchcock did that all the time, but I just felt Sia's cameo was a bit egotistical and kind of drew attention to how much of a saviour she thinks she is. I mean Hitchcock's cameos were pretty much, walking a few Sealyham Terriers in The Birds or missing the bus in North by Northwest. Same is true of Ralph Bakshi (although his films are animated so it's basically the voiceover), Bakshi often played incompetent authority figures in his films, which is what his films often attacked so he could look at himself with a sense of irony. If there is something good I can say about the movie is, it's at least well made, sure it's not going to blow anyone's socks off but at least you can tell she's watched some movies before and did at least some research on that front. I mean it's not The Room, or Birdemic, or Cool Cat Saves the Kids, or any Neil Breen movie levels of incompetent filmmaking (not to say the movie isn't incompetent, it's just decent on a filmmaking level). The movie isn't funny bad unlike something like The Fanatic (another movie about autism that is worth avoiding).

[@DVDandFilmBloke]

I wouldn't say it's the worst film I've ever seen in my life, it's close but not close enough (maybe because I knew what to expect, it didn't upset me as much as others, it irritated me more). Star Wars Episode 2, Parting Shots, The Dark Knight Rises, Tough Guys Don't Dance, Godmonster of Indian Flats, Torn Curtain and Police Academy 6 are worse in my opinion I would say it's on par with Die Hard 5, Vegas Vacation, Topaz, Karate Kid 3 and maybe Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat. I know I have odd taste when it comes to films but those are bottom of the barrel for me. I didn't include Rain Man because even though I like to pick on it, it did come out in the 80s and Hoffman did a lot more research. It's still a rubbish film but it's not one of the worst I've seen.

[@b.w.22]

I think the idea of “autism spectrum” is too non-specific if it could be seen to include someone such as yourself as well as “Music.” Of course, I recognize that the portrayal was so much as to be seen as a parody by some. To my thinking, if Music’s internal life was shown in such a way that it reflected what was said, that she “understands everything,” then maybe there was a good lesson there, like “don’t judge a book by its cover.” But her internal narrative was like some bizarre cartoon, not a rational person handling their challenges in the best way they could and misunderstood by those around her. It seemed to me to be a hyper misrepresentation of the experience of autism.

[@ianmangham4570]

Whats an Indie?

[@shatteredprism]

Would an opinion from someone who frequently goes nonverbal/nonspeaking count?

[@Bubblegum-xm5cg]

Of course! All autistic opinions are welcome on this! :)

[@auburneytuckerson2959]

Yes

[@DVDandFilmBloke]

Against my own better judgement I did finally watch the movie and, yeah, it was just as bad as everyone said. Surprisingly the thing I had the biggest issue with was the music videos, so the movie fails from a representation and an artistic perspective (well done Sia). I did write a fairly extensive review on my Letterboxd, (I must warn you, I don't mince my words at all and there is some strong language) letterboxd.com/filmblokej/film/music-2021/

[@JadeDRail]

First

[@svvndus]

With all due respect to this video, the one thing I just can’t agree with you on is not blaming Maddi. I blame her as well as Sia and all actors/producers involved. I believe Maddi was old enough to know how to do research. Every Gen Z kid I know is smarter than that. I don’t believe we should spam her with hate messages, but we also shouldn’t ignore the fact that she has agency of her own and still chose to play the role. Like you said, the entire film is unacceptable and disgusting. All in all though, great video and I’m glad I discovered your channel

[@runedoom]

To be fair to maddie, she's been controlled and abused her whole life and only did it so her mother figure (whose been clearly grooming her) wouldn't hate her. Yes she knew better, but it's kinda sad what abuse victims will do to feel loved.

[@cassandraotroy6325]

Why would I not want to watch it and form my own opinion? (I betting you say this at some point to do this, and the title is meant to be humorous)

[@IndieAndy]

The title definitely isn't meant to be humourous. I don't recommend the film at all but obviously you can go ahead and watch it if you want to. Not forcing people to listen to this video.

[@cassandraotroy6325]

@@IndieAndy you misunderstand. I DID want to listen to your opinion! But typically saying 'so you don't have to' is meant to be funny. I dont think I'll like the movie more due to the music and 'videos' being too over-stimulating. As for having a non-autistic playing the part, I have no issues. I mean, Darryl Hannah is autistic and played neurotypical parts. Should we stop this from happening now? This would be the logical conclusion. They tried casting an autistic girl and it was too much for her. I was a dancer but as an autist I wouldn't be able to handle that much stimulation. The world shouldn't stop and millions of dollars be lost waiting for the 'right' autistic (or any) person.

[@IndieAndy]

@@cassandraotroy6325 Truthfully I think if an autistic actor plays a non autistic is fine and vice versa. My issue is that in this scenario, it's been done incredibly poorly. Also it was clear that they just were not willing to be accommodating or find someone else to do the role as it's clear Sia wanted Maddie to play the role. Which is fair enough but I don't think in general it's difficult to find someone suitable to play a role like this. That's just my opinion though.

[@lu8201]

The sias movie/songs sounds so offensive. It should be banned.

[@SierraMiles]

Thanks for sharing. Like cover songs? If you have a minute, I just posted an acoustic cover of Shawn Mendes. As a fellow music fan, I'd love if you would check it out. It's on my channel. Hope you enjoy!

[@garyfrancis5015]

You must be joking all cinemas are closed because of COVID unless it comes out on DVD in 4 months time I wont see it.

[@NoelleMar]

I think it’s on some streaming services already. Not that I should be encouraging you lol

[@IndieAndy]

Yeah Gary it's available on the likes of KZbin for rental and Google play. Again not encouraging anyone to watch it but yeah it's definitely available.