Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story

Charlie Hamilton James's 2024 documentary follows the relationship between Billy Mail, living in the Shetland Islands, and an otter cub washed up on the shore. Billy finds the animal, feeds her, nurses her back to health and names her Molly; the real question is whether she can return to the wild and whether the relationship has harmed her. The documentary is honest in not suppressing that question: Billy's wife Susan says plainly that Molly's habituation to people is dangerous. Billy shot most of the footage himself, which gives it its intimacy. Being a National Geographic production, the nature documentary aesthetic dominates, and the Shetland coastline is beautifully photographed. The emotional pressure is high. Who it's for: viewers who like nature documentaries and films about the relationship between people and animals. Who it's not for: anyone critical of wild animals being habituated, or who will find the emotional manipulation excessive.