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Death & Taxes

Play trailer Poster for Death & Taxes 2024 1h 25m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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DEATH & TAXES is a feature documentary about wealth, inequality, and the American Dream, viewed through the lens of the estate tax. It is also the very personal story of a father and son at odds over what kind of inheritance we want to leave our kids and our country. Filmmaker Justin Schein's father, Harvey Schein, liked to say he lived the so-called "American Dream": rising from poverty in Depression-era Brooklyn to great financial success as one of America's top CEOs of the 1970s. But Harvey Schein also spent the last 20 years of his life fixated on trying to keep his hard-earned wealth from the taxman--an obsession that almost broke the Schein family apart. More broadly, inherited wealth and the tax system that shields it have badly distorted American democracy, perpetuating racial and economic inequity in the country. Filmed over more than 20 years, and weaving intimate family footage with interviews with prominent experts from all sides of the debate, DEATH AND TAXES tells this crucial story through the tale of one American family.

Critics Reviews

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Carla Hay Culture Mix Death & Taxes gives a competent overview of estate taxes, while admirably showing a balance of supporters and opponents of these taxes. This documentary, directed by Justin Schein, includes his family history as a very personal perspective. Nov 22, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

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Movie Info

Synopsis DEATH & TAXES is a feature documentary about wealth, inequality, and the American Dream, viewed through the lens of the estate tax. It is also the very personal story of a father and son at odds over what kind of inheritance we want to leave our kids and our country. Filmmaker Justin Schein's father, Harvey Schein, liked to say he lived the so-called "American Dream": rising from poverty in Depression-era Brooklyn to great financial success as one of America's top CEOs of the 1970s. But Harvey Schein also spent the last 20 years of his life fixated on trying to keep his hard-earned wealth from the taxman--an obsession that almost broke the Schein family apart. More broadly, inherited wealth and the tax system that shields it have badly distorted American democracy, perpetuating racial and economic inequity in the country. Filmed over more than 20 years, and weaving intimate family footage with interviews with prominent experts from all sides of the debate, DEATH AND TAXES tells this crucial story through the tale of one American family.
Director
Justin Schein, Robert Edwards
Producer
Robert Edwards, Yael Melamede, Justin Schein
Production Co
Shadowbox Films, Salty Features
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 25m