Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: TV And Film, Netflix
Jess Hardiman
Netflix viewers are praising a ‘brilliant’ new drama that has racked up an amazing score on Rotten Tomatoes, saying they've binged through it in no time.
We’ve been pretty spoilt with TV lately, thanks to the return of The Traitors and, earlier this week, the latest off-shoot of Love Island with its new ‘All Stars’ format.
But man cannot live on reality TV alone (or so we’re told), meaning we’re always open to something a bit meatier to sink our teeth into.
Netflix’s latest drama has proven to fit the bill perfectly for viewers, who haven’t been able to stop watching it.
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Boy Swallows Universe, a seven-episode mini-series based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Trent Dalton, follows a young boy growing up in the suburbs of Brisbane in the 1980s, against the backdrop of ‘looming dangers’ that threaten his family.
While Eli's got it tough with school bullies and his stepdad, he’s also being mentored by a warmhearted convicted felon (Frances Brown) and a pen pal serving jail time (Adam Briggs).
In trying to find out what his stepdad is really up to, Eli takes the wrong path and gets mixed up in the criminal underbelly of his town.
The show has racked up a respectable 90 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer, having drawn in a wave of positive reviews from critics.
Slant Magazine said the series was ‘charming, hair-raising, and heavy-handed in equal measure’, while Decider explained in its review how it manages to ‘pull off a pretty dark coming-of-age story without being depressing or hopeless, thanks to some deft writing and fantastic performances by the cast’.
The Guardian added: “Netflix’s seven-part adaptation of Trent Dalton’s acclaimed novel Boy Swallows Universe has a wonderful kind of tonal elasticity, stretching from despair to happiness in a heartbeat.”
Viewers were also instantly sold, with one tweeting: “Started Boy Swallows Universe. We are long overdue for ridiculously good Aussie drama. It has me hooked. The kid in it is a seriously good actor.”
Someone else said: “Adapted from Trent Dalton's bestselling book, the highly anticipated #BoySwallowsUniverse is finally out on @netflix tomorrow! Joyous and heartbreaking in equal measure, you're not going to want to miss this one.”
Watch Boy Swallows Universe on Netflix now.