Fans react online
Fans are praising Netflix’s latest drama and urging others to watch.
Many call the show “beautiful and brilliant” and say it deserves top marks.
One viewer wrote on X:
“Boy Swallows Universe – the Netflix drama is beautiful, brilliant and uplifting. Well done @TrentDalton and @johncolee – thank you.”
Another added:
“I just binge-watched Boy Swallows Universe over two nights! I absolutely loved it, and I couldn’t stop watching it. I felt a range of emotions. Love, pride, fear, laughter & tears, as I could relate to some of it. 10 out of 10. Congrats to the writer, producer and fabulous cast!”
Release details
Meanwhile, the seven-part series dropped in full on January 11.
Many subscribers have already binged all seven-plus hours.
What it’s about
Adapted from Trent Dalton’s novel, Boy Swallows Universe follows two brothers in 1980s Brisbane.
The story centers on 13-year-old Eli facing hardship tied to drugs and crime.
Later, the show tracks Eli’s life as hope grows during his teenage years.
Netflix calls it “an epic coming-of-age story” blending youth and harsh reality.
Ratings and reviews
Also, viewers have handed out 10/10 scores and called it “compulsory viewing.”
The drama holds a 7.8 rating on IMDb and 89% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Cast and inspiration
Still, the series stays true to its Australian roots.
It stars local talent including Phoebe Tonkin as Eli’s mother, Frances Bell.
Finally, author Trent Dalton has shared personal inspirations behind the story.
He said:
“I don’t have enough words in the book to go on about all the things my mum survived, things that other people would have succumbed to.
My mum went away for two years just like Frankie Bell does in the book.
Everything that happened in that passage in the book with the kid wanting to see his mum is pretty close to the bone for me.”
