Netflix show “Boy Swallows Universe” a coming-of-age story, which is based on Trent Dalton‘s award-winning semi-autobiographical book, mixes the sweet innocence of youth with the harsh realities of adulthood. The story is about a young boy named Eli Bell who has to deal with the problems that come with living in the suburbs with a family that is dealing with drug abuse, crime, and the complicated feelings of love.
Dalton’s book became a huge hit when it came out in 2018, becoming a bestseller and getting great reviews for its moving story. tvacute is going to get to the heart of “Boy Swallows Universe” and look at the important parts that make it so moving.
Where was Netflix’s Boy Swallows Universe filmed?
The filming for “Boy Swallows Universe” began in August 2022, with an eight-month creative process. “Boy Swallows Universe” on Netflix was mostly shot in different places in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Key places were very important in capturing the essence of Eli Bell’s world and giving the story a sense of realism. Some of the interesting places are:
Boggo Road Gaol, Queensland
The historic Boggo Road Gaol is a well-known place. It is a red-brick building that used to hold some of Queensland’s worst criminals. The prison, which shut down in the early 1990s, is a stark reminder of the state’s long past of prisons. In the show, it becomes a central theme that gives Eli’s journey more depth and historical background. Boggo Road Gaol has a big effect on Dalton when he talks about the complicated character Slim Halliday, a babysitter and convicted murderer who shaped his youth.
City Hall’s clock tower in Brisbane City
In Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, at Brisbane City Hall, the Brisbane City Council resides. It is right next to King George Square, which is where the main entry to the rectangular City Hall is. The clock tower of City Hall is another famous place. The clock tower at Brisbane City Hall is 64 meters (210 ft) tall and 87.47 meters (287.0 ft) above the ground. It was designed to look like the St. Mark’s Campanile in Venice, Italy. The four clock faces on each side of the tower were the biggest in Australia when it was first built. It is grand and old, and it represents the passing of time, making a visual picture that fits with the story’s themes. Filming in the City Hall helps make the show’s depiction of 1980s Brisbane more real.
Darra, Brisbane in Queensland
The show goes to more than one neighborhood, such as Darra, Inala, and others. The author Trent Dalton has a connection to the town of Darra in the southwest of Brisbane. The fact that Dalton’s childhood home in Darra was recreated gave the show a very personal touch. Trent Dalton, the creator of “Boy Swallows Universe,” says that the places that are featured in the show are very important to him. Dalton talks about his emotional journey as he thinks about how his childhood home in Darra was recreated. He says it was strange to see his past come to life on set.
Another Brisbane suburb that was involved in the show was Inala, which added to the story’s rich cultural mix. These places, which are full of different cultures, set a complex background for the story that is unfolding. The addition of neighborhood restaurants and Sunnybank High, a multicultural school, to Darra, makes Eli’s world even richer.
Trent Dalton, the famous author of “Boy Swallows Universe,” was moved to tears when he visited the set. As he stood outside with his wife Fiona in a small blue weatherboard house in Beenleigh, south of Brisbane, the event took him back to his roots. In Darra, a blue-collar suburb in the southwest of Brisbane, this house was an exact copy of Dalton’s childhood home.
In Dalton’s mind, the family scene brought back strong memories of his childhood with his three brothers, his mother, and a drug-dealing stepfather. The mysterious babysitter Slim Halliday was seen in the house. He was known as the “Houdini of Boggo Road Gaol” because he was convicted of murder. In this house, Dalton found a strange phone buried under the floor. It was also the site of a complex web of events that happened every day, involving violence, pain, and deep love. Some important events in Dalton’s life happened here. The emotional effect of seeing his past reenacted on set was a strong sign of the power of his work and the journey of self-discovery that was a part of “Boy Swallows Universe.”
“Boy Swallows Universe” was shot at Screen Queensland Studios in Hemmant, and Greenthorpe, Queensland, Australia. This studio was probably used as a controlled space for indoor shooting, like for scenes that needed specific sets or controlled lighting. These kinds of studios are often used to film inner scenes because the directors have more control over the set.
Que Minh Luu, head of content at Netflix ANZ, says that Brisbane was the clear first choice for filming. This shows how important the city was in creating Trent Dalton’s evocative and uniquely Australian world. Screen Queensland CEO Kylie Munnich talks about how the production helped the economy and created jobs, showing how taking this local story to a global audience can be good.
