[SXSW 2024] BILLY & MOLLY: AN OTTER LOVE STORY -- Adorable, Humanistic Nature Documentary

Review by Sean Boelman

Billy and Molly visit on the shore. (Credit: National Geographic/Charlie Hamilton James)

Directed and shot by National Geographic photographer-turned-filmmaker Charlie Hamilton-James, Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story is an adorable film that you can’t help but love. Boasting great visuals and an engaging story, this movie is perfect for animal lovers but will warm even the most cynical hearts.

The documentary follows a man living in the remote Shetland Islands of Scotland as he forms an unexpected friendship with a wild otter who suddenly shows up on his doorstep. Although the story is slight, it has such a deeply rooted humanist undercurrent that it works as a crowd-pleaser.

This is a gorgeous movie to behold, considering that Hamilton-James’s cinematography is done in 4K. It’s much more intimate than your average nature documentary, as it’s not the story of an entire ecosystem but a specific individual, so it doesn’t have as many of the sweepingly beautiful shots as you may expect. However, the chance to see something this up close and personal is refreshing in and of itself.

Furthermore, with a runtime under 80 minutes, Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story moves along at a nice pace. It’s light and buoyant, reminiscent in many ways of the Disneynature movies of the 2010s with how well it uses the breathtaking footage to tell a narrative story. Of course, it also has the cuteness factor working in its favor.

Billy and Molly sit in Billy's rowing boat in the sea just off West Shetland. (National Geographic/Johnny Rolt)

However, that short runtime does come at the expense of exploring some of the deeper conservationist themes. The subject’s wife often raises the question of whether it is ethical to continue this potentially disruptive relationship to the wild otter’s natural way of life. It would have been nice to see this explored with a bit more depth.

Using the subject’s wife as the story's narrator is also somewhat mixed in effect, as it introduces another player into the story. Although she is obviously an essential part of the subject’s life, her inclusion in the film adds another element of conflict to the story that’s not fully necessary — much less thoroughly explored.

Still, when Billy & Molly focuses on why audiences will be seeing the movie — to see an adorable friendship between a man and an otter — it’s fantastic. It’s perfectly saccharine without ever feeling too forced, allowing it to be one of the most pleasant, ineffably lovable documentaries you will see all year.

Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story has some incredible 4K footage and uses it to tell a charming, endearing story. Although the film doesn’t dive into some of the questions raised by this situation, it’s undoubtedly effective as a movie that’s just meant to warm your heart and make you smile.

Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story is screening at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, which runs March 8-16 in Austin, TX.

​Rating: 4/5