Set in 1980s Darra, Brisbane, Netflix’sBoy Swallows Universeis acoming-of-age limited seriesthat quickly rose to the tops of charts and had viewers invested in the traumatic life of the young Eli Bell. The series is an adaptation of author Trent Dalton’s novel of the same name. The source material, released in 2018, found widespread success, selling nearly a million copies and winning numerous accolades. Being adapted to the small screen byNetflixand finding success on the streaming platform as well is now yet another accolade for Dalton’s work.
Boy Swallows Universebegan production in mid-2022 and made its Netflixdebut on Jul 26, 2025. Preserving the essence of Dalton’s work, the Netflix series, too, is set in Australia and has a primarily Australian main cast. The show stars Felix Cameron in the role of the young Eli with Zac Burgess portraying the adult Eli. Rounding up the cast are Phoebe Tonkin as Frankie, Travis Fimmel as Lyle, Lee Tiger Halley as Gus, Bryan Brown as Slim Halliday, and Simon Baker as Robert. The series is directed by Bharat Nalluri, Jocelyn Moorhouse, and Kim Mordaunt and executive produced by Andrew Mason and Troy Lum. Despite several dark themes in the series, thanks to its talented cast and creative team, Netflix’sBoy Swallows Universebecomes a heartbreaking hopeful watch that is a mix of fact and fiction.
What is Boy Swallows Universe About?
Boy Swallows Universe
Boy Swallows Universefollows the young Eli Bell and documents his complicated coming-of-age story. Eli and his brother, Gus, live with their mother and stepdad in a working-class neighborhood in Darra. From the get-go, it is evident that the family does not have an easy life. With a family that is struggling financially and trying to make the best out of a bad situation, Eli takes viewers through a journey where he is embroiled in heroin deals, bullied at school, and babysat by a convicted murderer.
Getting into situations that no young boy is usually exposed to, including accompanying his stepfather on heroin deals and being invited to join the trade himself, Eli’s story is one of heart-wrenching hope. With a deep love for his family, especially his mother, Eli overcomes the numerous challenges that life throws at him, grasping for hope in the most dire situations and stumbling along toward adulthood.
Inspired by the Author’s Childhood
Boy Swallows Universedraws from the childhood of the author of its source material, Trent Dalton. However, the narrative is semi-autobiographical, meaning it is a mix of fact and fiction. Dalton spent his childhood in Brisbane, Australia, and, similarly to Eli, he had a complicated childhood with a troubled mother and stepfather involved in heroin. Moreover, Dalton was also babysat by the real-life Slim Halliday in his younger days.In a blog post for HarperCollins Publishers, Dalton wrote:
“The key characters all draw on the people I love most in the world. The most beautiful and complex people I’ve ever known, and I never even had to walk out the door of my house to find them. I just wanted to give the world a story. To turn all these crazy and sad and tragic and beautiful things I’ve seen into a crazy, sad, tragic and beautiful story.”
The 15 Best Upcoming Book to Show or Movie Adaptations Releasing In 2024
Hollywood is constantly dishing out sensational big screen adaptations of some of the literary world’s most celebrated and popular novels.
As per the producers of the series, the Netflix adaptation has attempted to stay faithful to Dalton’s work, thus preserving the tone of the narrative. However, it is a given that certain changes have been made so that the show could appeal to audiences. While the characters in the series have been created according to Dalton’s work, other aspects, such as the eerily ringing red phone and mystical blue wren, have been fictionalized and exaggerated for dramatic effect. Both the phone and wren were used to add a sense of mystery to the show, reflecting Eli’s subconscious and inner turmoil. Director Bharat Nalluri maintained that the identity of the caller was never revealed as the creative team behind the show wanted viewers to create their own interpretation of the phenomenon.
Fact and Fiction in the Netflix Series
Much of the facts in the series have to do with its characters. Eli’s family, including Slim Halliday, have been drawn from real life. However, elements of fiction have been woven into the characters as well, making the series a blend of fact and fiction. For example, although Frankie Bell is inspired by Dalton’s mother, the events that surround her, including the time that she spent in jail and Eli breaking into prison to see her, are fiction. In reality, Dalton’s mother spent two years in prison and, as per the author, the incident of Eli busting into jail is merely a reflection of a child’s longing to spend Christmas with his mother.
Similarly, although the character of Lyle Orlik is inspired by Dalton’s real stepfather, Gary John Lawrence, his disappearance from Dalton’s life had to do with him being sent to prison, not being kidnapped by Ivan Kroll as viewers see in the series. The ambiguity that surrounds Lyle’s disappearance is used to signify the confusion that Dalton felt as a child when his stepfather was taken away from him. Eli’s brother, Gus, is also partly fictionalized, and is the culmination of Dalton and Netflix rolling the author’s three real-life brothers, Joel, Ben, and Jesse, into a singular character.
20 Thrillers That Are Based on True Stories
Be prepared to sit on the edge of your seat as you watch these 20 thriller films that are based on terrifyingly true stories.
One real-life character in the series is Arthur ‘Slim’ Halliday, the convict who babysits Eli and his brother. Having been sent to prison in 1939, to originally serve a five-year sentence for house-breaking, Slim’s sentence was then extended due to his behavior in prison. Owing to his multiple escape attempts, two of which were successful, Slim came to be widely known as the ‘Houdini of Boggo Road.’ Slim was convicted of murdering a Gold Coast taxi driver, Athol McCown. However, Slim maintained that he was innocent of the crime until his death in 1987. Dalton, as well as his brothers, had a special connection with Slim.“I loved the guy,” Dalton said,speaking to The Townsville Bulletin. “He was the funniest, kindest old bloke.”
Netflix’sBoy Swallows Universeis a mysticalcoming-of-age limited serieswith elements of crime-thriller interspersed into it. While providing a bittersweet watch of a 13-year-old boy who struggles with the most complex of childhoods and yet clings to hope of a better tomorrow, the fact that the series draws from a true story adds to the appeal of the show. However, the factual elements ofBoy Swallows Universeend with the creation of its characters. Many other elements of the series, including those that were vital to the plot development in the series, are works of imagination meant to lend to the dramatic story arc of the series.
