IT Chapter One [2017] (5 Stars)

This is a first for me. "IT Chapter One" is the first film that I've gone to see in the cinema three times. The first time was when it was the opening film of the Stuttgart Fantasy Film Festival, the second time was with my son Benjamin, the third time was today with my daughter Fiona. Benjamin loved the film, Fiona was less impressed. She's not a horror movie fan, but I expected her to like "IT" more. It's a classic horror film that relies on suspense, rather than excesses of gore, so I expected her to appreciate it more. My suspicion is that she was so shocked by the film's goriest scene, Georgie's arm being bitten off at the beginning, that she was turned off for the rest of the film.

I've read a few criticisms of the portrayal of Beverly Marsh in the film, claiming that she's sexualised as a young teenager in her bikini scene, and that there are hints of child abuse in her flirting with Derry's pharmacist, Mr. Keene. These criticisms obviously come from people with sexual hangups who don't get it, so I'll do my best to explain.

To put things straight, she's not wearing a bikini in her scene by the lake – or is it the sea? – it's her underwear. When she sees that the boys have stripped down to their underpants to dare one another to leap into the water she rips off her outer clothing and jumps first. That has nothing to do with sexualisation, it's about female empowerment. Anything boys can do girls can do better, which isn't just true for adults, it's true for 13-year-olds. Beverly pushes the boys out of the way and jumps first, forcing them to follow her and prove that they are real men.

So were the boys real men? The following scene shows that they aren't. Beverly lies by the water sunning herself while her underwear dries off. The boys sit staring at her, rigid and uncomfortable, unable to say a word. Beverly isn't innocent. She can feel the boys' eyes all over her body, and she's enjoying their discomfort. She's revelling in the power she has over them.

Boys stare. It's what they do. When I was 13 I stared at every girl who walked past. I stared at schoolgirls, and I stared at women who were twice my age. Now that I'm older the only difference is that I've learnt to stare less obviously. But sometimes I still get caught.

Concerning the scene with the pharmacist, how can anyone possibly see any child abuse in it? Isn't it obvious that Beverly is flirting with him, not the other way round? There are men who have a perverted interest in young girls. That's not who I'm talking about here. I'm talking about the normal, decent men who know what's right and wrong. When girls reach a certain age they notice boys staring at them. Boys of their own age do it so obviously that it's difficult to miss. But they also notice older boys staring, and even adult men. So what do they do? Insecure girls are embarrassed and try to cover up any flesh accidentally on display. Self-confident girls encourage the stares. What does a girl do if she's sitting in the classroom and she sees her teacher glancing at her legs? Some girls would pull the hem of their skirt down to cover themselves, while other girls would open their legs to give him a better view, gazing back at his face and hoping he will blush with embarrassment. That doesn't mean that the girl has any sexual desires for her teacher. It's merely a power game. "I can make you look at me. I can arouse you. You can't resist me".

That's what Beverly's flirting with the pharmacist is about. Power. She smiles at him, she makes compliments about his looks, she leans over the counter towards him. He's like a fish on a hook; he's trapped and he doesn't even know it. The difference between Beverly and the classroom teasers is that she's abusing him. While he's staring at Beverly he doesn't notice her friends stealing items from the store. This is a brashness that very few girls of her age would possess, but it happens. Beverly is a 13-year-old who is smart enough to be aware of her womanhood and strong enough to use it to her advantage.

The only child abuse we see in "IT" is the genuine abuse that Beverly suffers at the hands of her father. In a way he's the film's biggest monster. While the other children only have to face Pennywise, Beverly also has to battle to survive against her father. We can assume that this constant struggle is what has made her so strong.