Music

2021 - Musical/Drammatico - 1h 47m

Director: Sia

Cast: Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr., Maddie Ziegler, Mary Kay Place, Beto Calvillo, Juliette Lewis, Kathy Najimy, Tig Notaro, Henry Rollins, Ben Schwartz, Hector Elizondo

Kazu " zu " Gamble, is a woman who has had big problems with alcohol, drugs and justice, and in an attempt to detox continues to ruin her life with her own hands. But everything changes when he is entrusted with the guardianship of his younger sister Music, a girl suffering from autism.

The film is the first film of the singer, which for the first time in his career he wanted to enter the world of the cinema, taking up the reins of the director, a project that the singer-songwriter has always had in mind in the field of cinema, but was unable to fulfill it, to pursue his musical career. A film that means that by now the singer has no limits in her career and that despite being one of the most famous stars of the world music scene and one of the most loved, she can also make a name for herself in the cinema.

Music and Zu

A story where the importance of being brothers is the main topic surrounded by the music that is the soul of the director. Building a musical was to be expected from Sia, although in the future I would expect a film with a different genre; let's say that as first evidence the singer has worked quite well, I mean that you see that cinema is not her world and as it happens for artists who come from another genre of work may have some difficulty entering the film field. The star made the film become a real show made of choreographies and ballets as if it were a theatrical show than a cinematic one.

In the film The real protagonist is Music, an autistic girl who lives with her grandmother, and at her sudden death is given into the custody of her older half-sister Zu, who is fresh from a life made of drugs and alcohol and unfortunately can not yet make a life, taking care of a disabled girl would be difficult for anyone, even more if the person is your sister. The girl has her monotonous habits and when her routine is disrupted she begins to have crises and for the woman is the beginning of difficulties. In my opinion, disability must be treated with great care and not make the person who is affected feel different from the others, but also not make him feel a normal person because he may feel uncomfortable.

To interpret Music is the dancer Maddie Ziegler, that is, the protagonist of several clips of the same director, with great success, making it one of the dancers the world's highest paid and to be the protagonist of his first film, has made it one of the co-workers and more appreciated by Both, that he has chosen for his extraordinary dowry of a dancer, but also for its mimetic facial that are beautiful and funny, but it was even more difficult to interpret the part of the autistic girl, who lives music and it shows in the name. A very difficult for anyone but the girl is not yet of age has been shown to not be afraid but to have acting skills as well as the dancer; the girl had already worked in the world of television and cinema, and this, his first important part will definitely be the base to become a good actress. They should have nominated her at the Golden Globes too, only for the way she managed to interpret Music, which did not go unnoticed, which additions to the dance make her special and no longer unknown to the public.

Kate Hudson is Zu

Does not go unnoticed, not even the test of Kate Hudson, the beautiful actress nominated for a Golden Globe for the film, was able to coordinate his scenes with the dance (not unusual for her) and that was missing from the cinema 4 years, and not see her act is one thing to be a strange addition to her shaved slit, which I found to be not suitable for you because he used to his long blond hair. The actress shows a great deal of ease in bringing an interpretation of an older sister with an autistic sister, and the attendant difficulties that could be there, but her acting career still strikes and Hudson never disappoints indeed brings a remarkable return. I have certainly seen his best interpretations, but this time it is different, his character is effervescent and manages to involve the public in his intention to take back his life, even if his way of doing straffottente and that despite trying to get out of that not perfect situation selling drugs does not honor her.

For an actress known to the public there is another who is semi-known in the cinema namely Leslie Odom Jr., actor very well known to the public for his stage performances including those in Hamilton where he won a Grammy and a Tony Awards and, where he also showed off his dancing skills. Although he is not new to television and cinema, this is one of the first real role performances where he could show not only his talents as a dancer but also those of singing, which have not slowed down. A strange but nice, he played the neighbour of Ebo (another name that can't go unnoticed), is suffering from AIDS and this does not live in a normal feeling from the beginning for Zu, for fear of scaring the girl; he is the only person who is able to communicate with Music, and manages to teach at the same Zu to behave with the sister.

K. Hudson and L. Odom Jr. during filming

A character who tries to prove the brave person and ready for anything to help others but the first one who needs help is himself, but the meeting with Zu will make him rediscover something he did not think he could think of: love. The African-American actor this year got two Oscar nominations for another film where he is the lead actor, and I would have considered him more for this part too because taking care of an autistic person is not easy but involving her with joy is something not everyone.

An observation on the dance scenes, which were created to give meaning to the moods of the protagonists in the scenes even if you don't understand immediately is this has been a weak point for which the viewer may make it difficult to understand the why of the dance scenes, many nice and colorful, but above all in the style of the singer that has helped the choreographer Ryan Heffington bringing his style of her music videos, and dancing, and animations. Each choreography is the mirror of what Sia brings in her musical shows and that since years ago the sold out at her concerts, where you are never tired of seeing them and listening to them; Sia herself wanted to participate in the film in the part of herself to show that the film is varied and that she put it all herself, starting with the script where she brought a lot of volume and elegance. She was able to bring all the characters in the same line and none of them is above the other, and also a character like George (Hector Elizondo), a kind of doorman who is very friends with Music and until Zu's arrival he acted as a tutor together with the grandmother of the two sisters. The actor despite being a secondary character is no less important than the others and will act as a consultant for Zu, although at first he does not believe in his abilities as an older sister and guardian of the girl.

Sia has a way of bringing stories to the screen in her own way and the film is her copy. There are some very slow scenes in the film that come to a certain point in the plot, you start to hear; and not always the various characters are understood in particular, Felix, a boy chinese overweight, who trains in the gym of the box Ebo, and that does not speak for the entire film, not that it has a form of autism or a disability, but I believe that it is very difficult to express themselves to the fault of the big problems at home with two parents always fight, and a father who does not consider him, and the boy tries to hide this diffilcoltà with the box but will not make a good end, I don't know what role he has in the movie, doing almost nothing, in my opinion it was put only to signify the desire to express oneself also in the form of other actions.

Speaking of the soundtrack the word always passes to Sia, who composed it personally with the help of the singer Labrinth (his colleague of the trio LSD with Diplo) who gave a sparkling touch to the film, and other colleagues. The soundtrack then became the 9th album of the singer, where we find colorful and enegic songs from Together to Hey Boy passing through Courage to change, each of them is a real state of mind of the protagonists who then collaborated with the director singing various songs. A repertoire not different from the usual work of the singer that brings happiness and a sense of human values to everyone; a musical film built well with some difficulties but that brings the beauty of helping others to accept themselves as they are.

by Giacomo Fantini rating: 3,33 of 5

19 April 2021