Music
Frequently beautiful despite its inherent awkwardness, Sia’s Music boldly attempts to look inside the mind of a young autistic woman, and the creativity showcased therein nearly compensates for the film’s cliché writing and characters.
The yo-yoing between this lovely, exaggerated inner life — where clearly neurotypical teenager Music (Maddie Ziegler) is the star of her own music videos — and reality, where she can barely communicate and exhibits various physical and verbal tics, exposes the artifice of Ziegler’s performance. And regardless of the accuracy of her portrayal, it creates a sense of discomfort from the onset that never quite dissipates.
Nevertheless, there’s a particular loving magic in the daily routine that Music’s grandmother Millie (Mary Kay Place), neighborhood gentle giant Felix (Beto Calvillo), and other allies create for her — a moving tribute to the individuals who care for and support those with autism.
Once that daily pattern is disrupted, the film gets another narrative boost via Music’s sober half-sister Zu (a buzzcut Kate Hudson), whose struggles to adjust to her new parental role while delivering drugs around Los Angeles for her boss Rudy (a cornrowed Ben Schwartz) provide a welcome change of pace.
With help from their Ghanan immigrant neighbor Ebo (Leslie Odom Jr.) and building superintendent George (Hector Elizondo), the sisters form a nontraditional family, and their range of experiences trigger the aforementioned thrilling voyages to Music’s interpretation of the world.
Full of colors, energy, and actions that convey Music’s emotions, plus Sia’s lyrics that offer decent commentary on her protagonist’s current thoughts, the elaborate, single-shot sequences truly come alive through Ryan Heffington’s peppy, complex choreography, and are easily the film’s standout moments.
It’s therefore a shame that Music has to eventually go somewhere and follow a standard plot structure — especially since (with the exception of an unusual but poorly staged wedding reception scene) Sia and co-writer Dallas Clayton don’t give their players anything interesting to do.
This collection of flawed cliché characters weren’t an issue in the build-up, but when it’s decided that conflicts must come to a boil and turning points have to occur, the filmmakers put Music, Zu, Ebo, and Felix through a melodramatic ringer of Murphy’s Law proportions that makes Sophie’s Choice look like dinner theater.
The hyperbolic torture eventually settles down and the quirky charms return, but while the damage has nonetheless been inflicted, Sia’s noble intentions and boundless imagination suggest she’ll return to filmmaking before long, stronger than ever.
Grade: C-plus. Rated PG-13. Available to rent via Amazon Video, iTunes, and other streaming services
(Photo: Merrick Morton/Vertical Entertainment)
