Honestly, some things just don’t age well. Usually, it takes a decade or two for a piece of media to feel truly "cringe," but Sia’s directorial debut managed it in about two minutes. When the music 2021 film trailer first dropped on YouTube, the collective gasp from the disability community—and the internet at large—was loud enough to shake the industry. It wasn't just a bad trailer. It was a catalyst for a massive, messy conversation about representation that we’re still untangling today.
Everyone remembers Sia as the "Chandelier" powerhouse, the woman behind the wig who stayed out of the spotlight to let the art speak. But with Music, she stepped behind the camera, and the result was... well, it was something. The trailer featured Maddie Ziegler, Sia's longtime dance collaborator, playing a non-verbal autistic girl named Music.
The backlash was instant.
What Actually Happened in the Music 2021 Film Trailer?
The trailer opens with high-saturated colors and a whimsical tone. You’ve got Kate Hudson with a buzzed head playing Zu, a newly sober drug dealer who suddenly has to care for her younger sister, Music. It looks like a standard indie drama until the musical numbers kick in. These aren't just background songs; they are full-blown, neon-soaked fever dreams meant to represent Music's internal world.
The problem? Ziegler’s performance.
In the music 2021 film trailer, Ziegler is seen grimacing, making exaggerated facial tics, and using wide-eyed expressions that many in the autistic community immediately flagged as "caricature." It felt like a throwback to a time when disability was a costume for able-bodied actors to win awards. It felt like "Rain Man," but with a pop-art aesthetic and zero self-awareness.
Sia defended the choice, claiming she had tried to work with a non-verbal autistic actress first, but the girl found the environment too stressful. This explanation didn't fly. Critics pointed out that the set should have been adapted to the actress, not the other way around.
✨ Don't miss: Who was the voice of Yoda? The real story behind the Jedi Master
The Controversy That Refused to Die
It’s rare for a trailer to generate this much concentrated vitriol. Usually, people just ignore a movie they don't like. But this felt personal to a lot of people. The hashtag #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs started trending almost immediately after the music 2021 film trailer went live.
Wait, it gets worse.
There’s a specific scene teased in the trailer and expanded on in the film involving physical restraint. In the clip, Music is being held down on the ground during a meltdown. For the autistic community, this isn't just a "dramatic moment." It’s a traumatic reality that has led to actual injuries and deaths in real-world schools and care facilities. Sia eventually apologized and said the scenes would be removed or have a warning attached, but by then, the damage to her "empathetic artist" brand was pretty much done.
The film's tone-deafness wasn't just about the acting. It was the vibe. The trailer sold a story about how "special" and "magical" autistic people are, which sounds nice on paper but often ends up "othering" the very people it tries to celebrate. People don't want to be your "inspiration porn." They want to be seen as human beings with agency.
Why We’re Still Talking About This Trailer
You might think a flop from five years ago wouldn't matter anymore. You'd be wrong. The music 2021 film trailer is now taught in film schools and media studies programs as a "what-not-to-do" manual for inclusive filmmaking. It represents the tipping point where the "inspired by" trope finally died a painful, public death.
Contrast this with something like CODA (which also came out in 2021). That film featured actual Deaf actors and won Best Picture. The industry shifted beneath Sia’s feet right as she was releasing her project. She was playing by the rules of 2005, while the world had moved on to 2021.
🔗 Read more: Not the Nine O'Clock News: Why the Satirical Giant Still Matters
People were also baffled by the casting of Maddie Ziegler. Maddie is a phenomenal dancer. She’s an icon of her generation. But putting a teenager in a position where she had to mimic a disability under the direction of someone she viewed as a mother figure was, in hindsight, a massive lapse in judgment by the adults in the room. Ziegler herself has since expressed that she felt uncomfortable and worried that people would think she was making fun of them. She was right to be worried.
The Financial and Critical Fallout
The movie was a disaster. It currently sits at an abysmal 7% on Rotten Tomatoes. But here’s the kicker: despite the universal panning of the music 2021 film trailer and the movie itself, it actually snagged two Golden Globe nominations.
That sent the internet into a fresh tailspin.
It felt like a slap in the face to every advocate who had spent months explaining why the film was harmful. It exposed a massive gap between the "Hollywood elite" who vote on awards and the actual people whose lives were being depicted. The backlash to the nominations was so fierce that it contributed to the overall re-evaluation of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (the group behind the Globes).
Lessons for Content Creators and Filmmakers
So, what’s the takeaway here? If you're looking at the music 2021 film trailer as a case study, there are a few brutal truths to acknowledge.
First, intent doesn't negate impact. Sia clearly thought she was making a beautiful tribute. She spent years on it. She poured her own money into it. But she didn't listen to the experts—the actual autistic people—who told her during production that she was heading toward a cliff.
💡 You might also like: New Movies in Theatre: What Most People Get Wrong About This Month's Picks
Second, the "Genius Auteur" defense is dead. You can't just say "it's my art" and expect people to ignore the fact that the art reinforces harmful stereotypes. In the digital age, the audience talks back. And they talk back loud.
If you’re a filmmaker or even just a content creator, you have to do the work. "Doing the work" means hiring consultants who actually live the experience you’re trying to portray. It means being willing to change your vision when someone tells you it’s offensive. It’s about humility.
Moving Forward: Real Representation Matters
If the music 2021 film trailer taught us anything, it’s that the era of "playing" disabled is over. We are seeing a surge in actual neurodivergent actors getting roles that have nothing to do with their diagnosis, which is the ultimate goal.
Shows like Everything's Gonna Be Okay or movies like The Reason I Jump (a documentary that actually lets non-verbal people speak for themselves) are the antidote to the Music fiasco. They don't rely on neon lights and choreographed dances to make the "internal world" of autism interesting. They realize that the people themselves are already interesting.
If you want to support better media, stop watching the train wrecks and start seeking out the projects where the community was actually involved in the writing room. Look for names like Josh Thomas or Kayla Cromer. These are the people moving the needle.
Actionable Steps for Evaluating New Film Trailers
When a trailer for a movie about a marginalized group drops, don't just take it at face value. Look closer.
- Check the Casting: Is the actor part of the community they are portraying? If not, why? There are very few legitimate reasons left for able-bodied actors to play disabled roles.
- Look at the Credits: Who wrote it? Who produced it? If it’s a room full of people with no lived experience in the subject matter, the "authentic" label is likely just marketing.
- Follow the Advocates: Twitter (or X) and TikTok are full of disability advocates who break down trailers in real-time. Before forming an opinion, see what people like Imani Barbarin or Alice Wong have to say.
- Support the Alternatives: If a trailer looks problematic, don't just complain about it. Find an indie film or a documentary that covers the same topic respectfully and give them your views and your money.
The music 2021 film trailer remains a permanent scar on Sia’s career, but it’s also a landmark. It’s the moment the audience finally said "enough." We don't need stars to "act" out our lives; we just need the door to be opened so we can act out our own.