This post deals with suicidal ideation and might be triggering for some readers.

Sia Furler has always had a complicated relationship with fame.

The ultra-private Australian singer-songwriter has spent years masking herself from attention with long-fringed wigs and comically large hats.

But despite her best efforts to fend off fame, Sia found herself at the centre of a social media storm.

It all began when the trailer for Sia's directional debut, Music ,was released in late 2020.

Watch the trailer for Sia's film, Music, below. Post continues after video.

Produced, directed and co-written by Sia,Musicis a story about a newly sober drug dealer (Kate Hudson) who finds herself the sole guardian of her sister (Maddie Ziegler), a teenager who lives with additional needs.

When the trailer was released, criticism mounted over the casting of Maddie Ziegler, an 18-year-old dancer who achieved worldwide fame through her performances in Sia's music videos.

On social media, advocates expressed their disappointment the role wasn't given to a neuro-diverse actor. In response, Sia fiercely defended her decision.

"I actually tried working with a beautiful young girl non verbal on the spectrum and she found it unpleasant and stressful. So that's why I cast Maddie," she wrote.

In response, one user wrote: "Several autistic actors, myself included, responded to these tweets. We all said we could have acted in it on short notice. These excuses are just that: excuses. The fact of the matter is zero effort was made to include anyone who is actually autistic."

Several autistic actors, myself included, responded to these tweets. We all said we could have acted in it on short notice. These excuses are just that- excuses. The fact of the matter is zero effort was made to include anyone who is actually autistic. #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs

— Helen Z 💜 | BlackLivesMatter | LGBTQIA+ Pride (@HelenAngel)

"Maybe you're just a bad actor," Sia responded.

In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald ,Sia admitted that she "f**ked up" by sending the tweets. "Looking back, I should have just shut up; I know that now," she said.

Why did Sia's movieMusiccause controversy?

Although the film received nominations at the Golden Globe Awards, the film was largely panned by critics, receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews.

On website Rotten Tomatoes, the film had an average rating of 3.9/10. The website's critic consensus read: "Offensive in its depiction of autism - and painfully misguided in essentially every respect -Musicis a vanity project that begs to be turned down."

In reviews, critics described the film as "embarrassingly out of touch".

Sia asked autistic critics to watch her movie before judging it. So I did. And it sucks. https://t.co/r020HoU28F

— Sara Luterman (@slooterman)

As Matthew Rosza wrote for Salon, "[It's not] just offensive; it’s patronising. The central role is played in a way that had already been recognised as embarrassingly out of touch more than a decade ago. It’s inexcusable."

Similarly, IndieWire's David Ehrlich wrote: "Sia's directorial debut is an absolute train wreck."

"Every baffling minute of Sia’s profoundly ill-conceived directorial debut will make you ask 'why?' in a different way," he wrote.

I’m watching Sia’s movie, in order to write a detailed & chronological review (so that nobody else watches it out of curiosity). But for now, I just want the public to see a few things that speak for themselves, starting with this image: pic.twitter.com/jPqtd5tLOz

— The Autisticats (@autisticats)

On Twitter, a thread dissecting the film's opening scene went viral.

"The performance is a caricature of autistic body language," The Autisticats, a page run by three autistic adults, shared.

"It’s unsettling, and insincere. And it’s deeply reminiscent of the exaggerated mannerisms non-autistic people often employ when bullying autistic and developmentally disabled people for the ways we move."

The fact that Ziegler is not autistic, and the fact that her performance is so heavily exaggerated, turns the entire movie into one long display of mockery. I know that “wasn’t Sia’s intention.” But it doesn’t make things any easier to stomach.

— The Autisticats (@autisticats)

After it received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, thousands also called for the film's nomination to be revoked.

The online petition received more than 150,000 signatures.

"Sia's debut movieMusicis severely ableist and contributes to harmful stereotypes of autistic people," the petition’s creators, Rosanna Kataja and Nina Skov Jensen, wrote in the description.

"Sia has claimed the movie is a 'love letter to the autism community', however, the music segments are filled with strobing lights, colours, loud sounds, and quick camera movements, which is very overstimulating," they continued.

"The fact thatMusichas been nominated for two Golden Globes awards illustrates the complete disregard the entire entertainment industry has for inclusivity and minority representation."

Listen to Mamamia Out Loud: The ladies discuss the controversy surrounding film Music during this episode. Post continues after audio.

Sia's response to the criticism.

In January 2021, Sia responded to the backlash regarding her decision to cast Maddie Ziegler during an appearance onThe Project.

"I realised it wasn't ableism - I mean, it is ableism, I guess, as well - but it's actually nepotism, because I can't do a project without her. I don't want to. I wouldn't make art if it didn't include her."

She also shared that Ziegler was "scared" about taking on the lead role inMusic.

"She just said, 'I don’t want anyone to think I’m making fun of them,'" the singer-producer explained. "And I bald-facedly said, 'I won’t let that happen'."

She continued, "I realised I couldn’t really protect her from that, which I thought I could."

In February, Sia was criticised for scenes inMusicthat showed Ziegler's character getting restrained — something advocates have condemned. In fact, The National Autism Association described the scenes involving the restraint of Ziegler's character as "dangerous and abusive".

In response, Sia apologised, adding the scene will be removed "from all future printings" of the film.

"I’m sorry," she tweeted.

"I plan to remove the restraint scenes from all future printings. I listened to the wrong people, and that is my responsibility, my research was clearly not thorough enough, not wide enough."

She continued: "I promise I have been listening. The motion pictureMusicwill, moving forward, have a warning at the head of the movie."

What Maddie Ziegler said about the film.

In January, Maddie Ziegler said she was "honoured" to play the lead role inMusic.

"I love this movie so much," she told Germany's Cinema magazine.

"Taking on a character like this, I was sold because of the