Boy Swallows Universe is a critical hit in Australia with a limited series that started running on Netflix January 11, 2024. Based on the 2018 semi-autobiographical novel by Trent Dalton, the limited series is set in 1985 Brisbane, following 12-year-old Eli Bell, whose home life is upside down with a mother in prison, a mute brother, and a drug-dealer stepfather. The limited series blends crime, magic realism, and coming-of-age drama as Eli locates a red rotary phone that speaks to his imprisoned mother, which leads him into Brisbane’s dark underbelly to save his mother.