Can movies make us better people? 2024 saw surprise hits, arthouse brilliance and spectacular flops. Here are some of the year’s best that can be streamed over Christmas.
Review of the year: the best films
Films of 2024: The themes of the Iranian film 'My Favourite Cake' – age, love and "the invisibility of older women" — are universal. Sadly, though, it was always going to be a controversial film, says the Financial Times," in a theocracy where all women are obsessively monitored".
Glossary
Polarisation - When people tend to flock towards extreme opposite points of view. Some think that polarisation is bad for politics, because it makes co-operation between people on opposing sides of a debate less likely. Others welcome it, however, because it offers voters clear alternatives in elections.
Whimsy - Playfully quaint or fanciful behaviour or humour.
Subversive - Seeking to disrupt a long established system.