With wit, emotional honesty, and razor-sharp storytelling, Death & Taxes chronicles the extraordinary life of Harvey Schein, whose journey from Depression-era Brooklyn to the helm of a powerhouse record company epitomizes the American Dream. Brilliant, ambitious, and fiercely combative, Schein amassed a fortune, only to devote his later years to a singular obsession: shielding his wealth from taxes and securing it for his heirs. Director Justin Schein turns the camera inward, crafting a film that is at once a personal family portrait and a pointed critique of America’s entrenched systems of financial privilege.

Part incisive economic exploration, part intimate family saga, Death & Taxes weaves together decades of home footage, candid interviews, and inventive animation to trace a complex father-son relationship against the backdrop of American fiscal policy. Harvey Schein emerges as the embodiment of the postwar Jewish-American success story: self-made, driven, protective of his family, and singularly focused on navigating the labyrinth of estate taxes.

The film features an extraordinary roster of experts—from Robert Reich and Paul Krugman to David Stockman and Grover Norquist—illuminating the high-stakes world of wealth, taxes, and inequality. Yet its core, the story remains profoundly human in its nuanced, often poignant chronicle of a family grappling with power, legacy, and moral dilemmas.