Music, directed by Sia, with Kate Hudson

Kate Hudson in Music.
Photo: Vertical entertainment

An old-fashioned piece of shameless hokum, Sia’s Music could be hilarious if it weren’t so offensive. The trouble began late last year, when the singer-songwriter-turned-director’s debut feature was called by many for choosing Maddie Ziegler, the neurotypical dance prodigy and child star of several. videos of Sia, in the role of Music, an autistic teenager. . Some have taken an understandable exception to the leaked scenes featuring characters from the film by casually using on Music a form of restraint that can, in fact, be quite dangerous. They were still disturbed by reports that the YouTube clips Ziegler watched to research his role were videos parents posted about their children in crisis – scenes showing these children at their weakest and most vulnerable, which were now likely used to extrapolate a whole set of behaviors.

This is certainly awkward (and Sia has since apologized) but MusicPerhaps the latter’s greatest sin is that, under the guise of giving visibility to an under-represented community, it actually delivers a silly, cliched melodrama that manages to sideline that community even further. Even though Sia had done everything right – interpreted differently, checked the procedures outlined, etc. –the film would likely still be terrible thanks to its story, which is more about Music’s older half-sister, Zu (Kate Hudson) and her attempts to straighten out. Zu returns to Music’s life after their grandmother (Mary Kay Place), who was caring for the daughter, died of a sudden heart attack. Zu thinks there might be some money in the will, so she shows up, only to find that not only is there no money, but that she is also now responsible for the care and good. -being of an autistic child.

But any real drama that might have stemmed from the ruthless, childish, opportunistic Zu premise learning to understand and love his sister is undermined by the fact that Sia doesn’t seem very interested in their life together. Instead, we get a subplot about Zu who sells drugs to make ends meet, her lengthy conversations with her very strange, possibly psychotic supplier Rudy (Ben Schwartz), to whom she owes a lot of. money, and a bunch of scenes where she tries to pass the music on to others. We understand Zu’s irresponsibility, but all of this raises other questions: what exactly is the music doing do all day? What does taking care of it mean? What are her needs, apart from the walk she takes each morning and the list of allergies that Grandmother usefully wrote in a notebook? The film never really gives us any insight into these questions. It just assures us that it’s quite a challenge – which might actually be the most offensive thing about it.

Meanwhile, a nice neighbor, Ebo (Leslie Odom, Jr.), who had previously helped Grandma, comes in to offer advice, wisdom, low-key romantic tension, and the occasional dark stares to make sure we know let him suffer peacefully. , too much. (Unbeknownst to Zu, he has HIV.) In Music’s life, there is also a kind and calm teenager across the street who trains to box in the gym where Ebo works, although he truly aspires to be an artist, his father’s harsh disapproval much. It’s like one of those music videos from 20 or 30 years ago where you would see a whole cavalcade of people in quiet agony, to validate the great themes of a pop ballad. Who knows? Perhaps Music would have worked in this format. But at the end of the day, the challenges of his characters don’t have the specificity or the sensitivity to immerse us in their worlds and bring them to life. Everything is drawn with the coarse shorthand of a music video, where narrative depth is rarely the point.

But then there are the musical numbers. The film is full of them, and this is where Sia is more confident. The surreal dance sequences in primary colors are usually dreamy visions – filled with the kind of exaggerated facial expressions, silly costumes, and sudden, grandiose movements that have become a staple of her videos over the years – and they have contagious and mind-blowing energy. , as Busby Berkeley tried to remake The 5,000 fingers of Dr. T in the world’s largest foam pit. Ziegler is a great dancer, of course. And the songs are wonderful, because, well, you know, Sia. With their vivid colors, trippy sets, thunderous rhythms and painful melodies, these scenes remind us of just how much of an accomplished musician the director remains – and they even hint at the kind of filmmaker she could become. But then the dance is over, the movie and its worn-out story kick in again, and any goodwill we might have mustered wears off once more.