Tom Morrison, better known as “Tom the Bottleman,” is a familiar face around Brunswick. Through health challenges and adverse weather, Tom has wheeled his cart, brimming with discarded bottles and cans, around town for about a decade.

Now, viewers have a chance to follow along with Morrison as he “bottles” around Brunswick in a new documentary by a Maine filmmaker.

Filmed over four hours on a freezing cold day in the middle of winter, the 20-minute film follows Tom through Brunswick’s neighborhoods as he stops at homes and businesses, greeting neighbors along the way, who are happy to donate their recyclables. It also stars Tom’s wife of 15 years, Madeline Morrison, his companion in bottle collecting and in life.

“We had just had a big snow storm, and I wanted to get him pushing the cart through the ice,” said director Jake Jakubowski, of Topsham. “The hardship of it makes for a great visual.”

Tom, 67, collects bottles not to make a living but rather to benefit his community and make a little extra money, the documentary “Tom the Bottleman” explains.

“He’ll go out in a snow storm; he’ll go out in pouring rain; he’ll go out in the heat,” Madeline, 70, said in an interview.

Jakubowski said the idea for the film came from a surprising source — Brunswick state Sen. Mattie Daughtry, who left a comment on Jakubowski’s Facebook page suggesting he feature Tom for his next project.

“I had heard a lot about him; so many stories about how he’s so well-loved throughout the community,” Jakubowski said.

Tom and Jakubowski met for the first time at Broadway Deli, and he was happy to be a part of the documentary project.

“I enjoy people going with me (bottling),” Tom said.

The film touches on moments when the Brunswick community rallied behind Tom, who suffers from a heart condition and other health problems. When he had to get a pacemaker put in about three years ago, community members raised roughly $6,500 on Facebook groups to support Tom and Madeline.

“I couldn’t believe it. … I was crying when they were helping me,” Tom said.

And after his cart went missing in December 2024, neighbors raised money once again and purchased Tom a new, heavier-duty cart.

“The story is a reflection of how the community has come together for him, which is kind of rare these days,” Jakubowski said.

In the film, Tom and Madeline get emotional talking about the kindness they’ve experienced in their hometown.

“My favorite part is when Tom is crying; it’s a raw emotion, it’s a raw feeling,” Jakubowski said. “Being an older gentleman, that’s not something that is seen in the public, that raw emotion. For him to be able to lower his guard and to cry on camera is a huge thing.”

Tom and Madeline saw the film before it was released on Jakubowski’s YouTube channel on April 6. They’re also looking forward to watching it at EveningStar Cinema during a screening on Memorial Day.

“Watching my little old man tramping up with that wagon made me proud of him,” Madeline said, adding that she cried while watching the film.

Jakubowski said stories like Tom’s bring him back to reality when the world is stressful.

“Maybe there’s enough kindness in the world where humanity isn’t completely lost,” Jakubowski said.

EveningStar Cinema will show both “Tom the Bottleman” and another one of Jakubowski’s Brunswick-based films, “The Mayor: A Chronicle of Williams Syndrome with Josh Duffy” on May 26 at 7 p.m.