A Christmas Gift from Bob

James Bowen is a musician who lived on the street and came off addiction; he busks in London with his cat Bob. As Christmas approaches, an animal welfare officer begins questioning whether Bob is really his, and James faces losing him. The subject is not Christmas but the constant demand for proof made of someone who has lived on the street. James has come off drugs and works steadily, and every institution still asks him for documents. The film is best in the places where it shows that bureaucratic exhaustion. The form is small and warm: London streets, tube entrances, cold weather. Bob himself appears in the film; the real cat performed in some scenes. The source is James Bowen's own book. Bowen is a real person and his story with Bob reached a wide audience first as a book and then as film. Bob died shortly after this production and the film was dedicated to him. Charles Martin Smith directs. Luke Treadaway plays James. Who it is for: viewers who like animal stories and Christmas films. Who it is not for: anyone wanting harshness; the film keeps its tone deliberately soft while dealing with addiction and homelessness.