Boy Swallows Universe: Who Is Calling From The Red Phone?

One of the biggest mysteries in the Netflix series Boy Swallows Universe is who is calling Eli and Gus from the mysterious red phone. Boy Swallows Universe is based on the 2018 semi-autobiographical novel written by Australian author Trent Dalton. Dalton incorporated many of the actual events from his life, including the discovery of a strange red phone with his brother Gus, into Boy Swallows Universe, which is also mixed with a unique blend of gory violence, gritty depictions of drug use, and elements of magical realism.

The surrealist and magical elements in Boy Swallows Universe are often representative of the traumatic experiences that both Eli and Gus have experienced throughout their less-than-ideal upbringing in the 1980s neighborhood of Darra in Brisbane, Australia. Throughout both the series and the novel, Eli remains a constant beacon of hope and inspiration in his belief that he can bring his broken family back together and accomplish his dreams as a journalist despite the seemingly endless pool of corruption plaguing the world around him.

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Eli & Gus Cope With Their Trauma Through The Red Phone

The red telephone that appears throughout the story is arguably the biggest headscratcher in both the Boy Swallows Universe novel and the Netflix series. The true meaning or function of the red phone is never fully addressed or explained by Eli or any other character in a way that feels completely convincing, leaving the reader/viewer to come up with their own assessment. The best explanation for the red phone is that it acts as an extended metaphor for Gus and Eli’s shared childhood trauma.

Gus and Eli first discover the red phone in Lyle’s underground hideout, which is eventually revealed to not be connected to any landline. The voice on the other side of the phone is never overtly helpful and is often somewhat patronizing as if he knows something that Eli and Gus do not but won’t tell them. It’s also not clear why the red phone rings, but at the end of the Boy Swallows Universe novel, the phone stops ringing once Caitlyn and Eli kiss, hinting that Eli’s childhood trauma has finally been silenced.

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Is An Older Version Of Eli Or Gus Calling From The Future?

Boy Swallows Universe suggests that the person on the other side of the red phone could be Gus calling from the future, which would align with the magical realism throughout the narrative and the fact that Gus has the ability to see into the future. The red phone could also be some type of coping mechanism or even a shared delusion that Eli and Gus have developed in response to their childhood trauma in Boy Swallows Universe. Alternatively, it’s the story’s way of representing their trauma through the persistent ringing of their past that Gus and Eli don’t know how to stop.