Powerfully moving and with a strong message about capital punishment, this four-part Australian miniseries is based on the true story of Van Nguyen, a 25-year-old Vietnamese-Australian who was given the death penalty after smuggling drugs to pay off his brother’s debts. Directed by Khoa Do (Footy Legends) we follow Van’s story from his decision to smuggle the drugs, to his arrest at Singapore Airport, his trial and pleas for clemency.
Driven by strong performances, especially Remy Hii in the role of the desperate Van, this is a gut-wrenching tale of a family’s fight to save the life of a condemned young man. We are introduced to Van through scenes showing us his home life in Melbourne and his relationship with his twin brother Khoa (Jordan Rodrigues), and mother Kim (Hien Nguyen, the real-life mother of director Khoa Do and comedian Anh Do).
When his brother is unable to pay back his court case debts, Van agrees to smuggle drugs from Cambodia to Australia, making a fateful transit in Singapore where the hidden packages of heroin are detected. The excellent support cast includes David Wenham as Melbourne lawyer Julian McMahon who teams up with barrister Lex Lasry (Bryan Brown) in a bid to help save Van from the death penalty.
The airing of Better Man on SBS earlier this year was controversial, with Van’s mother Kim Nguyen calling for it to be halted as the drama was traumatising to her family. However others have since claimed it is must-see viewing, portraying the shocking travesty of justice as Singaporean authorities failed to take important evidence into account during the trial. Chilling and upsetting extremely powerful viewing.
tales from the roof 
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