<em>History of Concrete</em>: Around the Block
Wilson turns Hallmark’s low-stakes formula into a documentary on concrete, after a seminar suggested the structure could help finance the film.
- On Thursday, October 1, filmmaker John Wilson released his feature documentary "The History of Concrete" at Cinema 21, marking his directorial debut in a 100-minute film exploring the mundane material's cultural and historical significance.
- After his HBO series "How To With John Wilson" concluded during the writers' strike, Wilson attended a seminar on writing Hallmark films, then adapted the recognizable structure to finance his documentary about concrete rather than mock the genre.
- Wilson's cinematic journey spans from Italy, where he examines 2,000-year-old structures built by Romans, to Ohio's oldest concrete street in Bellefontaine; the film also features interviews with quirky figures like GumBusters, a Brooklyn-based company removing gum from New York City sidewalks.
- Critics describe the documentary as a loose, relatable exploration of human connection; Wilson subverts the Hallmark genre by recording trivial moments alongside his narration, aiming to create a communal atmosphere where "people belong somewhere," he said.
- Currently playing at Alamo Drafthouse Denton and Look Cinemas Bedford in Dallas County, the film reveals an underpinning of Wilson's work: a desire to stop time and preserve the strange personalities encountered before they vanish forever.
11 Articles
11 Articles
The secret message of John Wilson’s debut feature documentary, ‘The History of Concrete’
Nobody who’s remotely familiar with John Wilson’s funny, angsty HBO series How To with John Wilson will be surprised to discover that his debut feature documentary, The History of Concrete, is not really about concrete. Wilson introduces us to a guy who removes tattoos from corpses and mounts the dead inked skin as mementos for loved ones. He interviews a New York park official who details how to purge poops from public swimming pools. When the …
<em>History of Concrete</em>: Around the Block
The irony is, there already has been a documentary about concrete. Victor Kossakovsky’s Architecton came out last year, and it was pretty good. However, John Wilson makes his feature filmmaking debut with The History of Concrete, which opens this weekend at Alamo Drafthouse Denton and Look Cinemas Bedford, plus other theaters in Dallas County. If […]
‘The History of Concrete’ Finds a Story on Every Sidewalk
“The History of Concrete” is a feature-length documentary about the most sterile substance we touch every day, but despite that, it kept me laughing for nearly two hours straight. That is because the man behind the camera is not just any director — he’s John Wilson. You might be asking yourself: “Is this really a...
The History of Concrete Follows the Fracture
Through three seasons of his HBO documentary series How To with John Wilson, filmmaker John Wilson has crafted mini-masterpieces of rambling nonfiction storytelling—wrapped up in the thin guise of a helpful guide for, say, making perfect risotto or finding a public restroom. His first feature film The History of Concrete provides similar moments of quirky […]
John Wilson's 'The History of Concrete' documents the hilarious, yet touching fragility of human existence
There are plenty of documentaries out there dedicated to chronicling the history of famous architectural landmarks, although you’d be hard pressed to find one about the material from which they’re made from. Those components are considered secondary to the historical…
The spokesman-Review
Why Hallmark Movies and John Wilson's 'The History of Concrete' take the mundane so seriously
Hallmark films have mastered the art of escalating low-stakes situations into high-stakes emotional emergency plotlines. They have made a lucrative business out of absurdities.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 75% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
