Better Man | |
---|---|
Directed by | Khoa Do |
Produced by | Stephen Corvini |
Screenplay by | Khoa Do |
Based on | See Research |
Starring |
Remy Hii Jordan Rodrigues David Wenham Bryan Brown Claudia Karvan |
Music by | Matteo Zingales |
Cinematography | Peter A. Holland ACS |
Edited by | Rodrigo Balart |
Production
company |
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Distributed by | SBS International |
Release date
|
2013 |
Country | Australia |
Language | English |
Better Man was an Australian television drama mini-series which originally screened on SBS TV in July 2013, and replayed in February 2014. The four-part series was produced by Fremantle Media Australia in association with Bravado Productions. It was written and directed by Khoa Do and Produced by Stephen Corvini. It starred David Wenham, Bryan Brown, Claudia Karvan and newcomer Remy Hii. According to SBS, Better Man had the most "star studded lineup" in the network's history.
Better Man was researched and developed by Stephen Corvini, Khoa Do and Timothy Hobart for over three years prior to the series’s production. Van’s lawyer Julian McMahon was a consultant on the miniseries as were Van’s closest confidantes prior to his execution, his best friends Kelly Ng, Bronwyn Lew and Goldgan Ng. All four had been present during Van’s final visit.
Better Man was written by Do based on extensive interviews, Van’s personal letters, court transcripts, his arrest statements and his clemency appeal.
Production and filming took place in Melbourne, Australia and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Oct - Dec 2012. Scenes depicting Singapore Changi Airport, Changi Prison and the courtroom in the High Court of Singapore, among other settings, were all filmed in Melbourne with the Cambodian and Vietnamese scenes being filmed in Vietnam.
Better Man is based on the true story of Van Tuong Nguyen, a 25-year-old Vietnamese-Australian man who was arrested in Singapore, convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced with the death penalty in 2005.
The series follows the story of a young man who had a tough but loving upbringing with his twin brother and devoted mother. The story culminates in an extraordinary three-year legal battle to save the life of Nguyen, led by Julian McMahon, a Melbourne lawyer, and Lex Lasry QC, a Melbourne barrister.