It (2017): What It Taught Me About Growing Up

If someone asked me which movie reminds me most of summer, I’d easily say It (2017), directed by the great Andy Muschietti. I’m talking about the whole story, since it’s split into two parts. And you’re probably wondering why I chose it.
Well, I can justify it. I can give you my reasons. And maybe—just maybe—the next time you watch it, you’ll remember these words and feel the same emotion that blossomed in me when I read the book and later saw the movie.

Summer is a season: the arrival of burning heat, swimming pools, ice cream, and rest. But it also represents a stage of life. A very early one, which we’ll always carry with us. A turning point so specific that, now as adults, we remember it with a mix of nostalgia and warmth... or maybe with that fear that hides under the bed, reminding you that one day you’ll grow up, and there will be other fears to face.

Maybe it also means facing the fear of loneliness, of growing up, of embracing the end of childhood. That break toward adulthood when you let go of your parents’ hands to face the monster on your own, each one staring down the fear that monster reflects.

In a way, Pennywise is the mirror where these kids—holding onto the idea of never growing up, enjoying an endless summer—see reflected that unstoppable feeling of aging. In their hearts, the warmth of that time still lives on, and the unique bonds they form become the foundation of sudden growth.

Being based on a book, the movie has something extra. That added layer that sparks a unique kind of nostalgia, offering a rich double reading of the story. Stephen King manages to transport us to that summer in Derry, fighting Pennywise alongside the Losers’ Club. From the very pages, you can smell the wet grass and dirt drifting in the warm air.

The film, meanwhile, offers the director’s interpretation—his vision complements what you imagined while reading. It adds a lot of context to what you see on screen and becomes a powerful message that takes you back to that time and makes you feel like a kid again, if only for a moment. Riding your bike, eating ice cream, spending afternoons with friends, without the worries and responsibilities adulthood brings.

Maybe, in a way, Pennywise is that: the reflection of what adulthood demands. The unstoppable, powerful force of change. And along the way, friendship becomes a huge support to survive that transformation, to go through it and grow by defeating the fear that lives inside us, feeding on our darkest anxieties.

This movie captures that perfectly: facing what scares us, side by side with the people we love most, strengthening a bond so deep it becomes unbreakable, transcending age, time, and distance.

We all know how It ends. Those who were once children, now adults, must return to Derry. The same place where, years ago, they managed to destroy—or at least temporarily defeat—that reflection of fear. Now they have to try again, reconnecting with the child they once were to, almost like antennas, pick up the power of innocence and defeat the monster once more.

Perhaps Pennywise, knowing what was in their hearts, sensed their deep longing to return to scraped knees and sunny afternoons. And he thought that with that he could defeat them, that by luring them back to that town, he’d have them again in his claws, at his mercy. But he was wrong. Because no matter how grown-up they are now, the bond forged in fear and hope to survive that fight made them something invincible.

For all these reasons, I choose It as the movie that reminds me most of summer and that nostalgia I, as an adult, miss every day.

Sometimes, when I get together with my friends, some story from those times always comes up, because that’s where memories shine forever, always carrying with them the scent of wet grass and dirt drifting in the warm air. It also brings back the nostalgia of a sunny afternoon by the pool, or resting on a blanket by the river, without worries or fears. Just creating eternal bonds and enjoying summer once again.