Boy Swallows Universe (TV series)

Boy Swallows Universe is an Australian coming of age television limited series for Netflix based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Trent Dalton. Produced by Andrew Mason and Troy Lum and written by John Collee, the story revolves around Eli Bell, a working-class youth who enters Brisbane's underworld to save his mother from danger. It features an ensemble cast led by Travis Fimmel, Phoebe Tonkin, Felix Cameron, Lee Tiger Halley, Zac Burgess, Simon Baker, Bryan Brown, Anthony LaPaglia and Sophie Wilde.

The series premiered on Netflix on 11 January 2024 to overwhelming praise from critics and audiences. The story, tone, acting and faithfulness to the source material were all subjects of particular acclaim. It received numerous accolades, including a record 10 Logie Award nominations.

Cast

 * Felix Cameron as Eli Bell (age 13)
 * Zac Burgess as Eli Bell (age 17)
 * Auden Ryan as Eli Bell (age 6)
 * Lee Tiger Halley as August "Gus" Bell, Eli's brother
 * Jake Cockburn as August "Gus" Bell (age 7)
 * Travis Fimmel as Lyle Orlik, Gus and Eli's stepfather
 * Simon Baker as Robert Bell, Gus and Eli's father
 * Phoebe Tonkin as Frances Bell, Gus and Eli's mother
 * Bryan Brown as Slim Halliday, Gus and Eli's babysitter
 * Anthony LaPaglia as Tytus Broz, boss and drug dealer
 * Sophie Wilde as Caitlyn Spies, newspaper journalist
 * Toby Schmitz as Detective Tim Cotton, corrupt police officer
 * Christopher James Baker as Ivan Kroll, standover man/drug dealer
 * Deborah Mailman as Poppy Birkbeck, guidance counsellor
 * Adam Briggs as Alex Bermuda, Eli's pen pal bikie in prison
 * HaiHa Le as Bich Dang, restaurant owner, drug importer and supplier
 * Zachary Wan as Darren Dang, Bich Dang's son
 * Ben O'Toole as Teddy Callis, Lyle's former best friend
 * Emily Eskell as PC Daley, police officer
 * Michael Denkha as George Masoumi, Slim's friend
 * Eloise Rothfield as Shelly Huffman, school student (age 13)
 * Millie Donaldson as Shelly Huffman (age 17)
 * Matthew Knight as a prison guard, Boggo Road Gaol
 * Isaac Strutt–Stevens as Christopher, hospital cancer patient
 * Drew Matthews as Titch
 * Peter Phan as Tony Leung
 * Kate Box as Dr Brennan

Development
The television adaptation rights of Trent Dalton's novel Boy Swallows Universe were acquired by Brouhaha Entertainment, Anonymous Content and Chapter One. On 4 March 2022, it was announced that an 8-episode limited series had been commissioned by Netflix, with producers Andrew Mason and Troy Lum of Brouhaha Entertainment, Sophie Gardiner of Chapter One, and Kerry Kohansky-Roberts and Toby Bentley of Anonymous Content.

Casting
It was revealed on 31 August 2022 that Felix Cameron would be playing the leading character, Eli Bell, and other main cast members included Lee Tiger Halley, Travis Fimmel, Simon Baker, Phoebe Tonkin, Bryan Brown, Anthony LaPaglia, and Sophie Wilde. Christopher James Baker, Deborah Mailman, Ben O'Toole, and others also landed roles.

Filming
Shelly Farthing-Dawe is the main cinematographer of the series. Principal photography for the series reportedly began in August 2022, with filming beginning in Brisbane. A house in Beenleigh was used for Lyle and Frankie's house while Robert's house was located in Wavell Heights. The scenes of the family buying a secondhand Atari console were filmed in Chelmer.

Critical response
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the series an 85% approval rating based on 13 reviews.

Luke Buckmaster reviewing the series for The Guardian rated it four stars out of five. Kylie Northover reviewing the series for The Sydney Morning Herald rated the series as five stars out of five, "As in the book, the mood is a tightrope walk between despair and childish optimism; the brothers’ lives are shaped by trauma, but this sprawling story is infused with humour and great warmth, even for the adults who have let them down."

The series received widespread praise from critics, most praising Phoebe Tonkin's performance. Jessica Baker of WhoWhatWear wrote that Tonkin "is in the midst of a transformative period. Coming off a truly spectacular dramatic performance in Boy Swallows Universe." Dalton, who wrote the eponymous novel the series is based on, also praised Tonkin's performance, stating "Phoebe went right ahead and gave a performance across eight hours of television that is so raw and exposing and true and dark-as-night-sometimes and so filled with light and hope and heart and LOVE that it reminded me why I wanted to write Boy Swallows Universe in the first place."

Accolades
At the 2024 Logie Awards, the series received a year-record 10 nominations. These included nominations for Best Miniseries or Telemovie, Best Lead Actor (for Cameron and Baker), Best Lead Actress (for Tonkin), Best Supporting Actor (for Brown, Halley and Fimmel) and Best Supporting Actress (for Wilde), and the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent (for Cameron and Halley).