Beginning in the 1960s, Harry Schein was one of the most influenctial people in the Swedish film industry. As Ingmar Bergman’s son tells it, “he represented everything my father didn’t like. Alcohol, cigarettes, loudness, and laughter”. Nonetheless, the “intellectual playboy” and Bergman were close friends. Using archival material and interviews, the film reconstructs his turbulent life. Born in 1924 in Vienna, Schein was sent to Sweden by himself at the age of 11 by his Jewish mother, where he managed to survive as a refugee, and go on to a career. He founded the Swedish Film Institute in 1963, became one of the country’s most popular media figures, and was also a successful writer. He was married to the actress Ingrid Thulin for more than 30 years. In the 1990s, Harry Schein focussed his energy above all on committed political opposition to the growing resurgence of right-wing extremism.