Marking Time was an Australian television mini-series, consisting of four one-hour episodes. This TV series was directed by Cherie Nowlan and written by John Doyle, available on DVD.
Winner of 7 AFI Awards with a knowing nod to Shakespeare's classic ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Marking Time is a four-part miniseries set in a rural Australian town, exploring both the coming of age of a boy and a nation. Hal Fleming (Abe Forsythe, Howzat! Kerry Packer's War) is at a turning point in his young life – no longer a boy, not quite the man. His journey is one of wide-eyed optimism as his town and the country are intoxicated with the spirit of the Olympics, and the Centenary of Federation. Hal gets his licence, first car, the right to drink, the right to vote, and falls in love with Randa (Bojana Novakovic, Satisfaction), a young Afghani refugee. But there is a shifting of consciousness in the town and the nation about refugees, border protection and their place in the world. The cloud of racism and intolerance hovers ever so heavily above Hal and Randa's world and Hal's heart is broken when he realises that his town is one in which he no longer belongs. Written by John Doyle (Changi) and directed by Cherie Nowlan (Thank God He Met Lizzie), featuring a stellar support cast including Abbie Cornish (Bright Star), Gyton Grantley (House Husbands), Matthew Le Nevez (Offspring), Kattie Wall (Puberty Blues) and Graeme Blundell (Alvin Purple), Marking Time is both a celebration and a challenge to the idea of contemporary Australian life.