Better Man (2013) s01e04 Episode Script
The Last Dance
1
Van
She needs a lawyer
who can help her for free.
- How much heroin did he have?
- About half a kilo.
I've really gotta pass on this,
don't I?
This is a capital punishment case.
There's a reason I'm trying to get
the best QC in the country to help.
Van, my name's Julian McMahon,
this is Lex Lasry -
we're your legal counsel.
- Who the fuck are you?
- I'm your brother's lawyer.
He did it for himself. He didn't
have to, no-one told him to.
So, what you're saying is
we can't risk a relationship
worth billions of dollars in trade
to save the life
of a drug trafficker?
My decision is that
I find you guilty.
You want me to tell you
how many condemned
have gotten off death row
in the past 10 years?
My name's Kelly.
I was a school friend of Van's.
Is there any way I can help him?
I've been going through
these trial transcripts
and I think I've found an angle.
They broke the chain of evidence.
His appeal is hereby dismissed.
No, we are not
gonna fuckin' let him die.
This is it.
This is the spot.
This is it.
- Warden?
- For your clemency appeal.
You need to write a letter.
Taking stock of
the life I have lived
only makes room for disappointment.
So many things I should have done
and should not have.
Now I have this chance
an opportunity to
make a difference
to prevail.
Yes, I'm sure.
You're positive it was a light?
Certain people in intense
moments of their life
they experience a light
and it's a spiritual
What? Like God?
You think you saw God?
I don't know.
But it's a good thing, right?
Yep. Of course.
- Of course it's a good thing, yeah.
- I think so, too.
Because it means
that maybe I'm ready.
Hang on,
what do you mean you're ready?
You know.
Umlet's just leave
the light experience aside
and let's just concentrate on
the here and now.
You need to write a letter as
part of your clemency petition,
and you need to address it
to their president
Julian
to express how you are now,
how you've changed,
how you've been rehabilitated.
- Can't you see that I'm ready?
- No, you're not fuckin' ready!
Look at you.
You're just a boy, mate.
You are just a boy.
You know, I've been here two years
and he's never
stepped through that door.
Please
let me go.
So, umso what do we need
for the clemency petition?
We need to write
a brilliant legal argument
and pepper it with letters
of support from Kim, Kelly
What about Khoa?
Do you think
we can get something from Khoa?
Alright, I'm off to see Kim.
Are you serious?
Well, I've got less than a month
to get this petition.
We just got off the plane. We've
gotta think seriously about this.
- We get one shot.
- Yeah, I know.
Julian! Wait.
You know they've asked us to present
this petition to the president.
- Yeah. Loong.
- No, no, no, he's the prime minister.
The president is S.R. Nathan.
Oh, shit. Huh.
OK, so, if we don't know his name,
the chances are
he's not very influential.
What, is he just a figurehead?
Why are they getting us
to send the petition to him?
Sufficient to say, the chances of it
succeeding are very slim.
Oh, shit.
We have to find a way to convince
parliament to fight for us.
That's where the battle
will really be.
Yeah, how long is that gonna take?
By the time they look into it,
the chances are our boy could be dead.
A slim chance -
it's better than none.
Kim!
Kim.
Kim.
Kim.
Hey.
- Hey, hey, put that down!
- What are you a fucking cop?!
Khoa?
- You're that lawyer.
- What are you doing with that?
It's mine. I lent it to him
and I want it back.
What, and you can't
use the front door?
- I lost my keys.
- Well, what about asking your mother?
I don't wanna see her.
How's Van holding up?
I think he's
partially given up.
On you?
No, no, no, not me. Umon life.
Well, you can hardly blame him,
I suppose.
He keeps seeing this light
and talking as though it's the end.
I know it may be hard to accept,
but he's probably preparing himself.
Yeah, I don't want him
to prepare himself.
I need him to keep both feet
on the ground at all costs.
But, Jules, if he's found
some peace in religion,
that can't be a bad thing.
And you did encourage him.
Well, yeah, so I just
gave him something to read.
So what do I do now?
Do I just give up, let him go?
WellI don't think you can
delude him about his chances.
You had a watertight appeal there
and it was thrown out of court.
I think he needs your support,
Jules, not false hopes.
He's mature enough to
reconcile his plight.
No.
No, how can he be?
He'she's just a kid. He's got
no idea what's coming to him.
Come here.
Put me down!
Don't you dare!
Whatare you doing?!
Boring. Boring.
Super boring. Why can't you
have anything fun to do?
Darling,
don't you have any homework to do?
Schapelle. Cool.
"Schapelle. Cool."
She's beautiful, isn't she?
I feel sorry for her.
How much do you know
about Schapelle?
Lots. Our teacher talks about her.
Darling,
hold up the cover of that magazine.
Will you get to meet her?
Julian.
Hi, Kelly. Hi, Kim. Just a minute.
Hey, honey, can you wait outside?
I'll take you to school in a minute,
OK? Daddy needs to talk.
Again?!
And just leave the magazine
on the corner there.
Come on, Dad.
Come on, have a biscuit.
They're in the kitchen.
Hi, Kelly, Kim.
Here are our letters.
Feels weird writing to
the president of Singapore.
Oh, no, that's great. Thanks.
Well done.
Sorry, Julian.
I tried writing but not very good.
No, no, no, it's OK.
I'm sure it's fine, Kim.
I cross out some words. Be OK?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's fine.
That's fine, thank you.
We'll leave you to it.
We know you're busy.
OK. Hey, thanks for bringing
these in. Kim, you stay strong, OK?
Yeah. Thank you, Julian.
- Kim. Kelly.
- Hi, Lex.
- There you go.
- Mmm.
Hey, check this out.
Oh, yeah, she's a celebrity.
If we want politicians
to help save our boy,
we've gotta influence
public opinion.
Get Van on the cover of
every magazine in the country.
You know, even little Angie
wants to save Schapelle.
If we can get the public
to back Van's plight
then the politicians will follow.
Get the whole nation behind us.
Gotta start a campaign.
There is one big difference.
Schapelle is female and white.
And sitting in a sideshow carnival
with access to 60 Min u te s,
and they to her.
While Van is locked up
in the tightest steel cage
built by mankind.
OK, but what if
we don't need access to him?
Then how do you propose
to get his face out there?
We don't.
We've got two women
who have just been in here
who could tell us more about
Van's plight than even he could.
'Reach Out' - it's a great title
for your campaign.
So, what - people trace their hand
and send it in with a message?
Yeah, that's the idea. Bronnie
and I came up with it together.
- It's like a petition with feeling.
- I love it.
How are you feeling, Kim?
I scared to talk.
No, you'll be great.
Too many Australian people.
Kim, you're his voice.
He needs you, OK?
- Come on.
- Oh, guys, wait!
Who's this?
She was Van's
Van's girlfriend a long time ago.
- I'm Rachel.
- OK.
Come on.
Ladies and gentlemen,
thanks for coming.
I'd like to introduce you to
Kim Nguyen, Van Nguyen's mother.
And she'd like to speak to you
about her son.
Hello. Hello.
My name is Kimoya.
I am the mother of Van.
Everybody please help
From the bottom of my heart
I have to say
please help my family.
My son is young boy.
He sorry in jail.
Very sorry.
He has learned a lot.
I feel my son is scared about
what is going to happen to him,
and it hurt my heart.
Every time I go to see Van
I tell himMummy love him
very much.
My family is very close.
He in my heart.
If something happen to my son
my heart will be sobbing.
Fuckin' hell, Mum.
In life we learn
everyone makes mistakes.
Everyone deserves a second chance.
This is a picture that Van
has traced of his very own hand,
reaching out for help.
By tracing your hand on
a coloured piece of paper,
you'll be asking the president
of Singapore to spare Van's life.
Inside your helping hand
write a message of support to Van.
Your hand will reach out
and carry hope to the president.
Julian, Bronnie, Lex, look.
In less than five minutes.
The Opposition's
appealing directly for mercy.
It's incumbent upon us
to try every avenue to
seek to persuade our friends
in the Singaporean Government
to reconsider this matter.
But without new hard evidence,
the Prime Minister's not optimistic.
If there is anything new,
then we will put that
before the authorities,
but if there's nothing new I don't
want to raise false expectations.
Van Nguyen's Australian
He's concerned about public opinion.
Wait till our campaign
hits top gear.
The last Australians
executed abroad were in Malaysia -
Michael McAuliffe 12 years ago,
and, in the 1980s,
Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers -
all for drug trafficking.
Karen Middleton,
World News Australia.
- Hello?
- Hello, Julian.
How come I see John Howard
say he do no more?
Well, it's early days, Kim.
He's moving cautiously.
- How about Queen?
- Sorry?
How about Queen?
Maybe she want to help me.
Well, we all want to help you, Kim.
Everyone's doing what they can.
But I don't think the Queen's
gonna listen to us.
Maybe she listen to me.
The Queen is a mother.
Me, I am mother, too.
No, KimKim, I think you're right.
Let's do it.
Kim, why did you decide to write
to the Queen to ask for help?
She has a son. She understand.
She is a mother.
The Queen can't intervene
without approval from
the British Parliament.
Do you seriously believe
the British Parliament will intervene
to save Van Nguyen's life?
Well, we have letters from two
popes - John Paul and Benedict -
we have a petition
signed by 400 parliamentarians
Federal and state parliaments,
including New South Wales,
Tasmania and Queensland,
have all passed motions
supporting Van's clemency.
And our public campaign
has captured the attention
and the hearts of people all over
Australia and throughout the world.
Look, we're getting hundreds
of these sent to us every day.
This is one from Edwina, in Canada.
Now, we have a young kid
sitting on death row -
a reformed kid, a sorry kid.
Why shouldn't their
parliament intervene?
But by saving Nguyen's life,
aren't you condoning drugs?
Aren't you saying that it's alright
to bring heroin into our country?
No, we're not condoning anything.
By supporting our campaign
you're not condoning drugs,
you're supporting humanity.
People shouldn't be killing people,
full stop.
Then what do you say to the 47%
of Australians who actually believe,
well, Van deserves what he gets?
- 47%?
- Today's poll- 47%.
Well, then I'd say that I'm ashamed
of half our population.
Look, print this.
This is a letter that Van wrote
to the prime minister of Singapore
accepting responsibility for his
wrongdoing and expressing regret.
After having read that,
if you still want to kill the boy,
well, then, God help you.
- Excuse us.
- Any news of how Van is
Julian, Lex, when do
you expect to hear
from the president of Singapore?
What about his brother?
Has he been to see Van?
Oh, my God.
Hey, Polar Bear.
Rabbit.
So, what have you been up to?
Are you dating anyone?
Are you single? Are youtaken?
- Married?
- Why?
It's none of your business.
See, 'cause if you were single,
I could introduce you to
some of the death-row boys.
- They're good-looking guys.
I can't see them, but they sound
like they're good-looking guys.
I, uhdon't go
for good-looking guys.
Can you believe this?
Like, how many years have passed
and it feels like
not a single day's gone by.
No.
I can't even remember - when was
the last time we saw each other?
Thanks for bringing that up.
- I didn't meant to hurt you.
- Well, you did.
Broke my heart when you dumped me.
Why?
Why did you end it?
I would have hurt you so much more
if we'd stayed together.
Look at what I've gotten
myself into.
Maybe you wouldn't be here
if you'd just given us a chance.
Ha! Is that
what you've come here for?
To laugh at me, to say
we should have stayed together?
- No.
- Then what?
I'm here to say
I still fucking love you.
And that I think about you.
And that you can't give up on
your life because people like me
RachelRachel
there's no people like you.
There's just you.
Alright. Just me.
But we'll be hurting.
I'll be hurting.
Wish we could start all over again.
Me too.
Julian McMahon.
Julian, it's Joseph from Singapore.
Hang on, Joseph. I've got Lex here.
I'll put you on speaker.
Check your fax.
The clemency decision
is coming through right now.
"to inform
you that the president,
"after due consideration
of the petition
"and on the advice of the Cabinet
"has decided that
the death sentenceshould stand."
One paragraph from
the president's secretary.
No reasoning, no justification
for three years of work
and a man's life.
What if we took the case to
the International Court of Justice?
But that would
be impossible
without the Singapore
Government's approval.
There's remote chance
of getting that.
What if we can convince them
of the merits of deferring?
Can you at least give that a shot?
Well, let me look into it.
Minister, time is of the essence.
We may only have a few weeks.
To be quite frank with you, there's
only one person at this stage
who could add influence
over Van's plight.
- The prime minister.
- Yes.
It just so happens we're meeting
with the Singapore PM
at the APEC conference
in a week's time.
Well, Minister, surely we can
raise our issue in that climate?
Lex, I can't guarantee
anything,
but I can certainly ask him.
Well, is there anything we can do
to help convince him, Minister?
What's the boy's mother up to
later this week?
I'm unsure. Why?
I think there's somebody
she should meet.
The prime minister
will see you now, Mrs Nguyen.
- Good luck.
- Thank you, Julian.
I sorry. I very sorry.
Please, you can help my son.
You help my sonplease.
He so sorry.
Any finished ones?
Awesome. Thank you. Thank you.
Wow, that one looks really good.
KimKim, look at this one.
Hmm.
Kim, telephone for you.
- It's Julian.
- Thank you.
Hello, Julian.
OK, Kim, any time now Howard's about
to address the media. Keep watching.
on death row is dominating
talks between Prime Minister Howard
and his Singaporean counterpart at
the APEC summit here in South Korea.
Miss Kim Nguyen,
registered post.
Wait a minute.
try to persuade Singapore's
prime minister
to spare the life
of the 25-year-old.
The Melbourne man's previously
clean record, his cooperation
and acknowledgement of wrongdoing
out of concern
for the position of his brother
are understood to be
the arguments being mounted
to convince Singapore
not to hang Van Nguyen.
- Talks between the pair
- Singapore. Bronnie.
Singapore.
What it say?
"Dear Madame,
"This is to inform you
that the death sentence
"passed on Nguyen Tuong Van
will be carried out on 2 December."
Death?
Prime Minister, are
there other avenues left to pursue?
No, there is nothing else.
We have done everything we can.
NoVan.
- No.
- Sorry.
No, Van.
A letter's been sent
from the Singapore Government
to Van Nguyen's mother, confirming
he will be executed on December 2.
John Howard wasn't advised
of the date
6789
10, 11, 12
15 fuckin' days.
Many transitions have taken
place since I have been here,
the culmination of which has
changed me on a fundamental level.
I'm learning to give and share
all that is mine.
To be more understanding
and patient.
To be more considerate
and accepting.
To be more compassionate,
generous and gracious.
I have learnt to love my neighbour.
What are we gonna do
with all these now?
We'll get it to their president,
like we planned.
Kell
it's over.
Where's Mum?
Khoa?
Where's Mum?
Me.
Me, are you there?
Chiam Fong.
Who the fuck are you?
You left this in the kitchen.
- That's the one he sent Kelly.
- Yeah, I know.
"Just finished a letter
to Julian, finally.
"Don't tell him but I've developed
a profound love and respect for him."
He loves you.
You know it's over.
There's nothing more
you could have done.
I love you for what you've done.
No. I love you for what you've done.
I'm all yours now.
No, you're not.
He needs you.
You need to go and see him, honey.
Even if
Yeah, the last time.
Khoa, do you feel
responsible
for your brother's predicament?
KimKim,
do you have a message for viewers?
Khoa, do you think
the Australian Government
has given you enough support?
Sir.
You're Chiam Fong?
Julian McMahon, lawyer for 856.
Yes, for Van.
So, what can I do for you?
Can you tell me
who asked you to issue this?
- I have orders.
- From who?
- He broke our laws.
- He's a kid.
He's a kid who made a mistake
and he deserves a second chance.
What's killing him going to change?
Nothing.
It will change absolutely nothing.
I hope you enjoy
your stay in our country.
Stop.
Give him a contact visit
with his family.
Contact visit? Impossible.
We never allow it.
At least allow him to
hug his mother before you kill him.
Go home, Julian. Go home.
Look after your wife, your child.
I will look after my family.
You look after that boy.
Contact visit or I'll make sure
my entire country is on your back.
Hey, bro.
It's been a long time.
Three years.
Yeah.
So, h
how you been?
You know.
Well, Mum tells me you've been
living on instant noodles.
Four packs a day.
Yeah.
You always used to make them
better than me.
I, uhput too much water in.
You drown the shit.
I don't get noodles in here.
I've beenI've been
learning to pray in here.
And I've been praying a lot.
- For you.
- Van, shut the fuck up!
I fuckin' miss you, man.
The past three years
I fuckin'
I fuckin' miss you.
Me too.
It's unlike you to be this quiet.
Mate, I, uhI think
I might have run out of words.
I'm sorry it couldn't have
ended on a happier note.
YOU'RE sorry.
Yeah.
You remember the light
that I told you about?
Yes, I do. Yes.
I finally got it.
What it means.
Do you remember when you used to
give me sandwiches at school?
Who would have thought
on that day
you and me
who would have thought
we'd become brother and sister?
You know, it feels like yesterday
you guys came in here to see me.
It does, mate.
I remember it very clearly.
Thank you, Joseph
for your courage
and for coming and seeing me
every week.
I only live down the road.
I'm happy. I want you to be, too.
No matter where you go,
what you do
who you end up with.
Just remember
I just want you to be happy.
It's going to be hard, Van.
I won't forget what
you've done, Lex.
Ever.
I won't forget you, Van.
Ever.
Jie Jie, your love for me
Stop it.
your love for me
was what kept me going.
You promised
you wouldn't make me cry.
Just think of this
me
as another chapter in your life.
And it's telling me
I'm gonna be alright, Julian.
I'll be alright.
I'm, er
Mate, I'm very proud of you.
You little punk.
So
now that we've all shared
a lot of tears
I thought it would be nice
to have a bit of a laugh.
In my last visit with my little
brother, we both made promises.
He promised me something and in
return I promised him three things.
Now, the firstthe first is
that before I go
I'm gonna sing
everyone my favourite song.
Now, feel free to laugh, whatever.
Yeah, here goes.
Send someone to love me
I need to rest in arms
And keep me safe from harm
And pourin' rain
Give me endless summer
'Cause, Lord, I fear the cold
Feel I'm getting old
Before my time
As my soul
Heals the shame
I will grow
Through this pain
Lord, I'm doin'
All I can
To be a better man
Go easy on my conscience
'Cause it's not my fault
I know I've been taught
To take the blame
And rest assured, my angels
Will catch my tears
To walk me out of here
'Cause I'm in pain
As my soul heals the shame
I will grow through this pain
Lord, I'm doing
All I can
To be a better man. ♪
This is it.
This is the spot.
Me!
Khoa!
I'm so sorry.
Amazing Grace
How sweet the sound ♪
My last visit
with my little brother,
I promised him three things.
The first was that I would
sing everyone my favourite song
before I leave.
The second was that I'd walk to
the gallows with my head held high.
And the last
the last was that I'd dance
my favourite dance
on my way to the gallows.
Through many dangers
Toils and snares
I have already come
'Tis Grace that brought me
Safe thus far
And Grace will lead me home
Was blind
But now I see. ♪
Van
She needs a lawyer
who can help her for free.
- How much heroin did he have?
- About half a kilo.
I've really gotta pass on this,
don't I?
This is a capital punishment case.
There's a reason I'm trying to get
the best QC in the country to help.
Van, my name's Julian McMahon,
this is Lex Lasry -
we're your legal counsel.
- Who the fuck are you?
- I'm your brother's lawyer.
He did it for himself. He didn't
have to, no-one told him to.
So, what you're saying is
we can't risk a relationship
worth billions of dollars in trade
to save the life
of a drug trafficker?
My decision is that
I find you guilty.
You want me to tell you
how many condemned
have gotten off death row
in the past 10 years?
My name's Kelly.
I was a school friend of Van's.
Is there any way I can help him?
I've been going through
these trial transcripts
and I think I've found an angle.
They broke the chain of evidence.
His appeal is hereby dismissed.
No, we are not
gonna fuckin' let him die.
This is it.
This is the spot.
This is it.
- Warden?
- For your clemency appeal.
You need to write a letter.
Taking stock of
the life I have lived
only makes room for disappointment.
So many things I should have done
and should not have.
Now I have this chance
an opportunity to
make a difference
to prevail.
Yes, I'm sure.
You're positive it was a light?
Certain people in intense
moments of their life
they experience a light
and it's a spiritual
What? Like God?
You think you saw God?
I don't know.
But it's a good thing, right?
Yep. Of course.
- Of course it's a good thing, yeah.
- I think so, too.
Because it means
that maybe I'm ready.
Hang on,
what do you mean you're ready?
You know.
Umlet's just leave
the light experience aside
and let's just concentrate on
the here and now.
You need to write a letter as
part of your clemency petition,
and you need to address it
to their president
Julian
to express how you are now,
how you've changed,
how you've been rehabilitated.
- Can't you see that I'm ready?
- No, you're not fuckin' ready!
Look at you.
You're just a boy, mate.
You are just a boy.
You know, I've been here two years
and he's never
stepped through that door.
Please
let me go.
So, umso what do we need
for the clemency petition?
We need to write
a brilliant legal argument
and pepper it with letters
of support from Kim, Kelly
What about Khoa?
Do you think
we can get something from Khoa?
Alright, I'm off to see Kim.
Are you serious?
Well, I've got less than a month
to get this petition.
We just got off the plane. We've
gotta think seriously about this.
- We get one shot.
- Yeah, I know.
Julian! Wait.
You know they've asked us to present
this petition to the president.
- Yeah. Loong.
- No, no, no, he's the prime minister.
The president is S.R. Nathan.
Oh, shit. Huh.
OK, so, if we don't know his name,
the chances are
he's not very influential.
What, is he just a figurehead?
Why are they getting us
to send the petition to him?
Sufficient to say, the chances of it
succeeding are very slim.
Oh, shit.
We have to find a way to convince
parliament to fight for us.
That's where the battle
will really be.
Yeah, how long is that gonna take?
By the time they look into it,
the chances are our boy could be dead.
A slim chance -
it's better than none.
Kim!
Kim.
Kim.
Kim.
Hey.
- Hey, hey, put that down!
- What are you a fucking cop?!
Khoa?
- You're that lawyer.
- What are you doing with that?
It's mine. I lent it to him
and I want it back.
What, and you can't
use the front door?
- I lost my keys.
- Well, what about asking your mother?
I don't wanna see her.
How's Van holding up?
I think he's
partially given up.
On you?
No, no, no, not me. Umon life.
Well, you can hardly blame him,
I suppose.
He keeps seeing this light
and talking as though it's the end.
I know it may be hard to accept,
but he's probably preparing himself.
Yeah, I don't want him
to prepare himself.
I need him to keep both feet
on the ground at all costs.
But, Jules, if he's found
some peace in religion,
that can't be a bad thing.
And you did encourage him.
Well, yeah, so I just
gave him something to read.
So what do I do now?
Do I just give up, let him go?
WellI don't think you can
delude him about his chances.
You had a watertight appeal there
and it was thrown out of court.
I think he needs your support,
Jules, not false hopes.
He's mature enough to
reconcile his plight.
No.
No, how can he be?
He'she's just a kid. He's got
no idea what's coming to him.
Come here.
Put me down!
Don't you dare!
Whatare you doing?!
Boring. Boring.
Super boring. Why can't you
have anything fun to do?
Darling,
don't you have any homework to do?
Schapelle. Cool.
"Schapelle. Cool."
She's beautiful, isn't she?
I feel sorry for her.
How much do you know
about Schapelle?
Lots. Our teacher talks about her.
Darling,
hold up the cover of that magazine.
Will you get to meet her?
Julian.
Hi, Kelly. Hi, Kim. Just a minute.
Hey, honey, can you wait outside?
I'll take you to school in a minute,
OK? Daddy needs to talk.
Again?!
And just leave the magazine
on the corner there.
Come on, Dad.
Come on, have a biscuit.
They're in the kitchen.
Hi, Kelly, Kim.
Here are our letters.
Feels weird writing to
the president of Singapore.
Oh, no, that's great. Thanks.
Well done.
Sorry, Julian.
I tried writing but not very good.
No, no, no, it's OK.
I'm sure it's fine, Kim.
I cross out some words. Be OK?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's fine.
That's fine, thank you.
We'll leave you to it.
We know you're busy.
OK. Hey, thanks for bringing
these in. Kim, you stay strong, OK?
Yeah. Thank you, Julian.
- Kim. Kelly.
- Hi, Lex.
- There you go.
- Mmm.
Hey, check this out.
Oh, yeah, she's a celebrity.
If we want politicians
to help save our boy,
we've gotta influence
public opinion.
Get Van on the cover of
every magazine in the country.
You know, even little Angie
wants to save Schapelle.
If we can get the public
to back Van's plight
then the politicians will follow.
Get the whole nation behind us.
Gotta start a campaign.
There is one big difference.
Schapelle is female and white.
And sitting in a sideshow carnival
with access to 60 Min u te s,
and they to her.
While Van is locked up
in the tightest steel cage
built by mankind.
OK, but what if
we don't need access to him?
Then how do you propose
to get his face out there?
We don't.
We've got two women
who have just been in here
who could tell us more about
Van's plight than even he could.
'Reach Out' - it's a great title
for your campaign.
So, what - people trace their hand
and send it in with a message?
Yeah, that's the idea. Bronnie
and I came up with it together.
- It's like a petition with feeling.
- I love it.
How are you feeling, Kim?
I scared to talk.
No, you'll be great.
Too many Australian people.
Kim, you're his voice.
He needs you, OK?
- Come on.
- Oh, guys, wait!
Who's this?
She was Van's
Van's girlfriend a long time ago.
- I'm Rachel.
- OK.
Come on.
Ladies and gentlemen,
thanks for coming.
I'd like to introduce you to
Kim Nguyen, Van Nguyen's mother.
And she'd like to speak to you
about her son.
Hello. Hello.
My name is Kimoya.
I am the mother of Van.
Everybody please help
From the bottom of my heart
I have to say
please help my family.
My son is young boy.
He sorry in jail.
Very sorry.
He has learned a lot.
I feel my son is scared about
what is going to happen to him,
and it hurt my heart.
Every time I go to see Van
I tell himMummy love him
very much.
My family is very close.
He in my heart.
If something happen to my son
my heart will be sobbing.
Fuckin' hell, Mum.
In life we learn
everyone makes mistakes.
Everyone deserves a second chance.
This is a picture that Van
has traced of his very own hand,
reaching out for help.
By tracing your hand on
a coloured piece of paper,
you'll be asking the president
of Singapore to spare Van's life.
Inside your helping hand
write a message of support to Van.
Your hand will reach out
and carry hope to the president.
Julian, Bronnie, Lex, look.
In less than five minutes.
The Opposition's
appealing directly for mercy.
It's incumbent upon us
to try every avenue to
seek to persuade our friends
in the Singaporean Government
to reconsider this matter.
But without new hard evidence,
the Prime Minister's not optimistic.
If there is anything new,
then we will put that
before the authorities,
but if there's nothing new I don't
want to raise false expectations.
Van Nguyen's Australian
He's concerned about public opinion.
Wait till our campaign
hits top gear.
The last Australians
executed abroad were in Malaysia -
Michael McAuliffe 12 years ago,
and, in the 1980s,
Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers -
all for drug trafficking.
Karen Middleton,
World News Australia.
- Hello?
- Hello, Julian.
How come I see John Howard
say he do no more?
Well, it's early days, Kim.
He's moving cautiously.
- How about Queen?
- Sorry?
How about Queen?
Maybe she want to help me.
Well, we all want to help you, Kim.
Everyone's doing what they can.
But I don't think the Queen's
gonna listen to us.
Maybe she listen to me.
The Queen is a mother.
Me, I am mother, too.
No, KimKim, I think you're right.
Let's do it.
Kim, why did you decide to write
to the Queen to ask for help?
She has a son. She understand.
She is a mother.
The Queen can't intervene
without approval from
the British Parliament.
Do you seriously believe
the British Parliament will intervene
to save Van Nguyen's life?
Well, we have letters from two
popes - John Paul and Benedict -
we have a petition
signed by 400 parliamentarians
Federal and state parliaments,
including New South Wales,
Tasmania and Queensland,
have all passed motions
supporting Van's clemency.
And our public campaign
has captured the attention
and the hearts of people all over
Australia and throughout the world.
Look, we're getting hundreds
of these sent to us every day.
This is one from Edwina, in Canada.
Now, we have a young kid
sitting on death row -
a reformed kid, a sorry kid.
Why shouldn't their
parliament intervene?
But by saving Nguyen's life,
aren't you condoning drugs?
Aren't you saying that it's alright
to bring heroin into our country?
No, we're not condoning anything.
By supporting our campaign
you're not condoning drugs,
you're supporting humanity.
People shouldn't be killing people,
full stop.
Then what do you say to the 47%
of Australians who actually believe,
well, Van deserves what he gets?
- 47%?
- Today's poll- 47%.
Well, then I'd say that I'm ashamed
of half our population.
Look, print this.
This is a letter that Van wrote
to the prime minister of Singapore
accepting responsibility for his
wrongdoing and expressing regret.
After having read that,
if you still want to kill the boy,
well, then, God help you.
- Excuse us.
- Any news of how Van is
Julian, Lex, when do
you expect to hear
from the president of Singapore?
What about his brother?
Has he been to see Van?
Oh, my God.
Hey, Polar Bear.
Rabbit.
So, what have you been up to?
Are you dating anyone?
Are you single? Are youtaken?
- Married?
- Why?
It's none of your business.
See, 'cause if you were single,
I could introduce you to
some of the death-row boys.
- They're good-looking guys.
I can't see them, but they sound
like they're good-looking guys.
I, uhdon't go
for good-looking guys.
Can you believe this?
Like, how many years have passed
and it feels like
not a single day's gone by.
No.
I can't even remember - when was
the last time we saw each other?
Thanks for bringing that up.
- I didn't meant to hurt you.
- Well, you did.
Broke my heart when you dumped me.
Why?
Why did you end it?
I would have hurt you so much more
if we'd stayed together.
Look at what I've gotten
myself into.
Maybe you wouldn't be here
if you'd just given us a chance.
Ha! Is that
what you've come here for?
To laugh at me, to say
we should have stayed together?
- No.
- Then what?
I'm here to say
I still fucking love you.
And that I think about you.
And that you can't give up on
your life because people like me
RachelRachel
there's no people like you.
There's just you.
Alright. Just me.
But we'll be hurting.
I'll be hurting.
Wish we could start all over again.
Me too.
Julian McMahon.
Julian, it's Joseph from Singapore.
Hang on, Joseph. I've got Lex here.
I'll put you on speaker.
Check your fax.
The clemency decision
is coming through right now.
"to inform
you that the president,
"after due consideration
of the petition
"and on the advice of the Cabinet
"has decided that
the death sentenceshould stand."
One paragraph from
the president's secretary.
No reasoning, no justification
for three years of work
and a man's life.
What if we took the case to
the International Court of Justice?
But that would
be impossible
without the Singapore
Government's approval.
There's remote chance
of getting that.
What if we can convince them
of the merits of deferring?
Can you at least give that a shot?
Well, let me look into it.
Minister, time is of the essence.
We may only have a few weeks.
To be quite frank with you, there's
only one person at this stage
who could add influence
over Van's plight.
- The prime minister.
- Yes.
It just so happens we're meeting
with the Singapore PM
at the APEC conference
in a week's time.
Well, Minister, surely we can
raise our issue in that climate?
Lex, I can't guarantee
anything,
but I can certainly ask him.
Well, is there anything we can do
to help convince him, Minister?
What's the boy's mother up to
later this week?
I'm unsure. Why?
I think there's somebody
she should meet.
The prime minister
will see you now, Mrs Nguyen.
- Good luck.
- Thank you, Julian.
I sorry. I very sorry.
Please, you can help my son.
You help my sonplease.
He so sorry.
Any finished ones?
Awesome. Thank you. Thank you.
Wow, that one looks really good.
KimKim, look at this one.
Hmm.
Kim, telephone for you.
- It's Julian.
- Thank you.
Hello, Julian.
OK, Kim, any time now Howard's about
to address the media. Keep watching.
on death row is dominating
talks between Prime Minister Howard
and his Singaporean counterpart at
the APEC summit here in South Korea.
Miss Kim Nguyen,
registered post.
Wait a minute.
try to persuade Singapore's
prime minister
to spare the life
of the 25-year-old.
The Melbourne man's previously
clean record, his cooperation
and acknowledgement of wrongdoing
out of concern
for the position of his brother
are understood to be
the arguments being mounted
to convince Singapore
not to hang Van Nguyen.
- Talks between the pair
- Singapore. Bronnie.
Singapore.
What it say?
"Dear Madame,
"This is to inform you
that the death sentence
"passed on Nguyen Tuong Van
will be carried out on 2 December."
Death?
Prime Minister, are
there other avenues left to pursue?
No, there is nothing else.
We have done everything we can.
NoVan.
- No.
- Sorry.
No, Van.
A letter's been sent
from the Singapore Government
to Van Nguyen's mother, confirming
he will be executed on December 2.
John Howard wasn't advised
of the date
6789
10, 11, 12
15 fuckin' days.
Many transitions have taken
place since I have been here,
the culmination of which has
changed me on a fundamental level.
I'm learning to give and share
all that is mine.
To be more understanding
and patient.
To be more considerate
and accepting.
To be more compassionate,
generous and gracious.
I have learnt to love my neighbour.
What are we gonna do
with all these now?
We'll get it to their president,
like we planned.
Kell
it's over.
Where's Mum?
Khoa?
Where's Mum?
Me.
Me, are you there?
Chiam Fong.
Who the fuck are you?
You left this in the kitchen.
- That's the one he sent Kelly.
- Yeah, I know.
"Just finished a letter
to Julian, finally.
"Don't tell him but I've developed
a profound love and respect for him."
He loves you.
You know it's over.
There's nothing more
you could have done.
I love you for what you've done.
No. I love you for what you've done.
I'm all yours now.
No, you're not.
He needs you.
You need to go and see him, honey.
Even if
Yeah, the last time.
Khoa, do you feel
responsible
for your brother's predicament?
KimKim,
do you have a message for viewers?
Khoa, do you think
the Australian Government
has given you enough support?
Sir.
You're Chiam Fong?
Julian McMahon, lawyer for 856.
Yes, for Van.
So, what can I do for you?
Can you tell me
who asked you to issue this?
- I have orders.
- From who?
- He broke our laws.
- He's a kid.
He's a kid who made a mistake
and he deserves a second chance.
What's killing him going to change?
Nothing.
It will change absolutely nothing.
I hope you enjoy
your stay in our country.
Stop.
Give him a contact visit
with his family.
Contact visit? Impossible.
We never allow it.
At least allow him to
hug his mother before you kill him.
Go home, Julian. Go home.
Look after your wife, your child.
I will look after my family.
You look after that boy.
Contact visit or I'll make sure
my entire country is on your back.
Hey, bro.
It's been a long time.
Three years.
Yeah.
So, h
how you been?
You know.
Well, Mum tells me you've been
living on instant noodles.
Four packs a day.
Yeah.
You always used to make them
better than me.
I, uhput too much water in.
You drown the shit.
I don't get noodles in here.
I've beenI've been
learning to pray in here.
And I've been praying a lot.
- For you.
- Van, shut the fuck up!
I fuckin' miss you, man.
The past three years
I fuckin'
I fuckin' miss you.
Me too.
It's unlike you to be this quiet.
Mate, I, uhI think
I might have run out of words.
I'm sorry it couldn't have
ended on a happier note.
YOU'RE sorry.
Yeah.
You remember the light
that I told you about?
Yes, I do. Yes.
I finally got it.
What it means.
Do you remember when you used to
give me sandwiches at school?
Who would have thought
on that day
you and me
who would have thought
we'd become brother and sister?
You know, it feels like yesterday
you guys came in here to see me.
It does, mate.
I remember it very clearly.
Thank you, Joseph
for your courage
and for coming and seeing me
every week.
I only live down the road.
I'm happy. I want you to be, too.
No matter where you go,
what you do
who you end up with.
Just remember
I just want you to be happy.
It's going to be hard, Van.
I won't forget what
you've done, Lex.
Ever.
I won't forget you, Van.
Ever.
Jie Jie, your love for me
Stop it.
your love for me
was what kept me going.
You promised
you wouldn't make me cry.
Just think of this
me
as another chapter in your life.
And it's telling me
I'm gonna be alright, Julian.
I'll be alright.
I'm, er
Mate, I'm very proud of you.
You little punk.
So
now that we've all shared
a lot of tears
I thought it would be nice
to have a bit of a laugh.
In my last visit with my little
brother, we both made promises.
He promised me something and in
return I promised him three things.
Now, the firstthe first is
that before I go
I'm gonna sing
everyone my favourite song.
Now, feel free to laugh, whatever.
Yeah, here goes.
Send someone to love me
I need to rest in arms
And keep me safe from harm
And pourin' rain
Give me endless summer
'Cause, Lord, I fear the cold
Feel I'm getting old
Before my time
As my soul
Heals the shame
I will grow
Through this pain
Lord, I'm doin'
All I can
To be a better man
Go easy on my conscience
'Cause it's not my fault
I know I've been taught
To take the blame
And rest assured, my angels
Will catch my tears
To walk me out of here
'Cause I'm in pain
As my soul heals the shame
I will grow through this pain
Lord, I'm doing
All I can
To be a better man. ♪
This is it.
This is the spot.
Me!
Khoa!
I'm so sorry.
Amazing Grace
How sweet the sound ♪
My last visit
with my little brother,
I promised him three things.
The first was that I would
sing everyone my favourite song
before I leave.
The second was that I'd walk to
the gallows with my head held high.
And the last
the last was that I'd dance
my favourite dance
on my way to the gallows.
Through many dangers
Toils and snares
I have already come
'Tis Grace that brought me
Safe thus far
And Grace will lead me home
Was blind
But now I see. ♪