In the waning days of a tumultuous year, as a weary, worried parent contemplating the uncertain future, I have found myself turning — again — to the story of a man and an otter.
I first watched “Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story,” a documentary directed by Charlie Hamilton James, soon after its U.S. premiere on National Geographic in May. (It’s currently streaming on Disney Plus.) I loved the film, but my then-3-year-old son really loved it, which is why I have now seen it a frankly deranged number of times. (We’re talking dozens.) Is it possible I’ve been brainwashed by so many viewings? Absolutely. But time and again, this luminous little film feels like a balm, and a gentle, existential instruction — never more so than right now.