From sand worms to singing witches, 2024 has been a dramatic year for cinema. In these times of polarisationWhen 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. and misinformation, watching a film can bring people together. And it can also help us to learn about others.

Here are five of the year's best offerings.

1. Weird world. La Chimera follows a British treasure hunter (Josh O'Connor) in rural Italy. It conjures up a world of tomb raiding, crumbling palaces and doomed romance.

2. Fuzzy feeling. I Saw the TV Glow tells the story of two isolated teenagers who bond over a fictional 90s TV show. It offers a thoughtful exploration of youth and the challenges faced by LGBT teens.

3. Summertime sadness. Janet Planet is a quiet drama about a summer in the life of the 11-year-old Lacy and her mother Janet. It shows the complexities of the relationship between parents and children.

4. Shaggy dog tale. One of the year's quirkiest and most delightful films, Robot Dreams is an almost wordless Spanish-French animation about the friendship between a robot and a dog.

5. Sucker punch. The Iranian My Favourite Cake shows an elderly widow inviting an old widower to her apartment so that she can bake him a cake. The heartwarming story is also an act of resistanceThe refusal to comply or go along with something. .

Can movies make us better people?

Yes! Films teach us about the world and can teach us to respect and empathise with a variety of people.

No! We often leave the cinema filled with thoughts about injustice, but such thoughts rarely stay with us for very long.