“Mad Men: The Final Season, Part 2”
The agency is changing during “Mad Men’s” final season, but not as fast as the world outside its offices. Women are still exploited with little chance of appeal. Don Draper appears restless, eyes rolling as he hears the same pitch for the millionth time. His bosses “just bought an agency in Milwaukee to get Miller beer.” Draper seems dubious on manufacturing desire for diet beer. As always, “Mad Men” is high style end to end.
White Shadow
We all know that animals are being poached in Africa for their alleged medical properties, but who knew that human albinos are hunted for the same reason? Israeli filmmaker Noaz Deshe dramatizes their plight in White Shadow through the story of Alias, an albino boy on the run. The film suffers by not supplying context—the story makes little sense unless you already know what it’s about—but leaves disturbing impressions of cruelty and poverty.
Kindness is Contagious
Evolutionary biologists tell us that being kind bestows social benefits (which doesn’t explain away the success of the ruthless), but then, it’s good that science is coming to grips with the value of good values. According to David Gaz’s documentary, kind people are healthier, happier and live longer. In choosing a mate, kindness ranks higher than good looks or money. As one expert puts it, “It’s hard to change the world, but it’s easy to be nice.”
