IT Analysis | What was the moment Pennywise was afraid for the only time? [Teacher, what was that all about?]

The meaning of "that scene" that had been bothering me ever since I watched the movie. "Cinema Sensei" (55), a man who has seen every movie, and "Tok" (19), a university student from the streaming generation, dig deep into one single question.

🎤 Tok: Sensei. You gave me homework in our last talk, didn't you?"There is a moment when Pennywise is truly afraid for the only time." I've been wondering about that ever since.

🎬 Cinema Sensei: You remembered. Then let's check the answer. —The climax, the scene where the children of the Losers Club surround Pennywise. At that moment, Pennywise's face changes.

🎤 Tok: Oh—that scene? Where the kids go toward him without running away.

🎬 Cinema Sensei: Exactly. Pennywise lives by eating "fear." The more a child is afraid, the stronger he becomes. But conversely, in front of a child who is no longer afraid—

🎤 Tok: ...He runs out of food.

🎬 Cinema Sensei: That's right. He is helpless against an opponent who isn't afraid. In that instant, what appeared in Pennywise's eyes was fear. A monster that had dominated the town for hundreds of years was afraid of children. I read that reversal as the core of this entire movie.

🎤 Tok: Fear loses its power the moment you stop being afraid...

🎬 Cinema Sensei: Remember how the adults were. The adults of Derry noticed Pennywise's existence but turned a blind eye. They "rationalized" their fear and swallowed it. But the children were different. They were scared, but they stood up for their friends. Only that clumsy courage broke through hundreds of years of fear.

🎤 Tok: ...I feel like I'm going to cry, even though we're talking about a horror movie.

🎬 Cinema Sensei: That's fine. That is exactly why this movie doesn't end as just a horror film.

🎤 Tok: But Sensei, this is just your interpretation, right? Aren't there other ways to look at it?

🎬 Cinema Sensei: Of course. Some people read that Pennywise was afraid because "the ritual was broken." Or there is an interpretation that it wasn't fear, but an act to catch his prey off guard. However, I didn't see those eyes as acting. —How did you see it? If you have your own reading, that is the correct answer for you.

👉 Click here for a talk that digs deeper into this movie: IT Review | Cinema Sensei and Tok's Movie Talk #01