The new, heart-warming National Geographic film of a man and his rescued baby otter takes you on a dive into the North Sea – and a dive into your inner emotions as its thought-provoking story unfolds off Scotland’s rocky shores in Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story. Scoring a whopping 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, this otter love story is already touching the hearts of many as it takes you on a trip through the gorgeous Shetland waters of Scotland and ventures through themes of healing in nature, the circle of life, and familial love.
This movie breaks barriers between people and animals both figuratively and literally while dabbling into the fishing industry and culture celebrated by the fine folks of Shetland. With the way this film follows the Mail family’s lifestyle and makes an effort to include the audience as part of it, it’s no wonder it reached an audience Popcornmeter rating of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. In a world where uplifting animal content prevails, the wholesomeness of Billy & Molly is right up there with Moo Deng, the pygmy hippopotamus that went viral this fall.
Synopsis
Released on November 15th on Disney Plus and Hulu, this story is depicted through the lens of a middle-aged Scottish couple, Billy and his wife, Susan Mail – and tells a tale of love and friendship that transcend species. When a baby otter washes up alone on their dock, Billy feels called to help and takes in the sweet creature and names her Molly. He describes that the name ‘Molly’ just came to him, naturally, and he and Susan raise Molly alongside their unamused dog, Jade, outside their seaside home where he first crafts Molly a sleeping cove (a little bed of fishing net under his old, overturned boat). As a natural fisherman, Billy is able to bring home fresh catch for Molly, but as she grows, he and Susan quickly realize that this still would not be enough- so they take to the fish market. Between fishing and shopping, they provide Molly with a bounty of fish from which she gains strength, and she plays in their garden and swims in the tide pools as she grows.
The iridescent cinematography flawlessly captures Molly’s early life spent with the Mail family in many different scenes of Molly attempting to play with Jade and digging around in Susan’s plants – which is enough to make any viewer laugh. To his wife’s surprise, Billy comes home one day with an additional freezer to store all the fish, accompanied by some light banter between Susan and Billy that resonates with the audience, especially anyone who’s ever brought a stray animal home unannounced. These playful scenes have delightful undertones of selflessness and silly mischief (Both Billy and Molly’s behavior) as Billy and Molly grow even more fond of one another.
-BBC
At this point in the movie, Molly’s sweet little presence begins to take over their life in similar ways to how a newborn baby might. Billy and Molly’s relationship was symbiotic as Molly was granted fish, a home, and a doting family – and in exchange, Billy felt as if a hole in his heart was filled by Molly. In a fatherly way, he begins to teach Molly how to fish – embracing the role Molly’s biological mother would have had and these are some of the purest scenes in the whole film.
Elements & Themes
A great turning point in the movie is when Billy constructs a tiny house for Molly just outside their home, fully equipped with family portraits and a motion sensor camera to keep an eye on her. The hard work Billy puts into giving Molly her own little house before the turn of the seasons really shows the love he has developed for her. Their daily walks with Jade become almost ritualistic and the scenes that follow them along the winding coast can truly invoke fond memories amongst viewers – memories of caring for long-loved pets or rescued animals in general. The artsy display of Scottish sunsets beaming over the luminous sea has an effect that makes you want to turn to nature to fill any void that one may feel within whether from grief, heartbreak, or life’s monotony. These scenes have such a healing element as Billy’s few but compelling words about his mental health can resonate with many viewers and make one feel understood in their longing for peace or contentment.
Billy found peace within Molly from the walks and joy they shared. Having moved to Shetland not long after losing both his parents and having expressed that he would have loved to have been a father, Billy laments that he is lonely. The vulnerability this narration provides solidifies a bond between Billy and the audience that relinquishes any questions in the viewers’ minds about what Billy may be going through. He truly channels his grief and feelings of isolation into caring for Molly through which he and his wife bond and through which he finds new hope.
There is a recurring theme of hope throughout this film as Molly grows after being orphaned, survives her first winter in the harsh cold, and then befriends another otter. Eventually, as her instincts take over, Molly heads upstream with this new friend and Billy has to say his difficult goodbye in a tear-jerking scene. Despite the cadence of emotions – as he and Susan knew this moment would eventually come -the Mail family is full of hope for Molly’s future and gratitude for the time spent with her. Her house remained on the hillside in their yard and Molly was certainly sorely missed. Even though they only had Molly for a short while, their goodbyes and well-wishes truly echoed the sentiment of parents with a child leaving the nest. This part of the film truly displays how nature will take its course in life and presents a reminder that so much is outside of our control, paired with the timeless idea that ‘if you love something, you have to let it go.’ Though it’s a raw feeling to confront, it is healing to know that there can be hope in goodbye and this moment certainly offers comfort to those watching.
Though she went on to lead a life in the wild, Molly came back to visit and have her baby – a testament to how comfortable she felt in her tiny house and how well Billy and Susan cared for her. As proud as parents can be, they opened their home back up to Molly for visits which eventually became less frequent – but they established that Molly would always hold a place in their hearts. Since the day she turned up as a helpless baby otter, they showed Molly unconditional, parental love and it becomes apparent that she will forever grace the Shetland waters to be near them. This simple yet healing story provides an example of the immeasurable differences we can all make, and we’re reminded when we care for earth’s creatures, we are fulfilling our role in nature.
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