Compared to all wild animals, otters rank among the cutest and anyone who disagrees can come for a fight. From spotting graceful faces to a childish nature and with fur coat that is thick and silky, everything about them is a charm to those who happen to see them in the wild. People in some countries have kept otters as pets now this is not a good thing for any of the people or the species at all. It’s just in the best interest to leave them alone and watch them frolic and forage from a distance.
In Charlie Hamilton James’ wonderful book, Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story, we are fortunate to witness a particular otter from a different perspective. It may be unfortunate how she gets exposed to the human world but what follows on screen is pure artistic genius. Molly is a real star.
So does this couple, who take care of Molly while she patiently grows in strength and confidence over the period it takes James and his team shoots their various clips. As is the strongest conjecture made based on the available evidence, she was probably left helpless when her sister and mother were run over by a car as pups. As Billy and Susan’s house soldiers on, she heads for the dock suddenly inviting Billy’s attention, just as the man is able to reach her. He assumes, quite rightly, that she is young, lost, alone and most importantly, starving, and starts giving her food.
The location now shifts to the Shetland Islands, the northernmost part of the UK. For an otter, it is never easy to survive without rivers, and Molly is using ocean as a substitute. However, river otters are also freshwater swimmers, and we witness Mohican left otter go upstream. We witness how she bathes in a tub that Billy has raised for her and even decorates her bath with colored balls.
We first come across her male mate in one of these inner trips, a male whom Billy, perhaps in a fit of jealousy, decides to call Bozo. So now we get to look forward to two otters playing in water. Two times the trouble and two times the pleasure. Fill all this up with the numerous sequences depicting Billy and Susan’s pet collier Jade and the movie does not run short of cute animal sights.
So many visual wonders of flora and fauna as Billy & Molly has intrigues (and they are numerous because of photographer’s stunning graphics above and below water), allows to appreciate, this time, the film for the human aspect. Susan and Billy are both presenters of the documentary, and it is delivered in a rather also dialogue form as they do a little round and round about different life and love themes. Of course, love is indeed one of the key themes of the story, be it with reference to our main characters, or Billy and Molly. It is what provides the overall sense of the whole undertaking, the narrative depicted through love and laughter. A pleasing background music by Eland Cooper adds appropriate warmth to the mystic of this.
With time, and because of Billy’s efforts, Molly gets better and eventually leaves, but she comes back every now and then. That is how it is meant to be. Billy does his portion in rescuing Molly and Molly does her portion by existing in the way an otter was supposed to be. How fortunate are we to be witnesses of their bond. I only wish there was more to the film. 77 minutes of running time is not really satisfactory.
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