John Wilson, known for his HBO series “How to With John Wilson,” has made his feature directorial debut with the documentary “The History of Concrete.” True to the observational and quirky style that defined his previous work, the film expands Wilson’s exploration of urban life through the lens of an everyday yet essential building material: concrete.
Over the course of the documentary, Wilson investigates concrete’s complex role in modern cities, particularly in New York, where it forms the foundation of much of the city’s infrastructure. The film juxtaposes concrete’s historical grandeur—highlighted by a brief segment filmed in Rome, showcasing ancient Roman contributions to construction—with its sometimes bleak and deteriorating presence in contemporary urban environments.
Wilson uses concrete as a metaphor to probe deeper societal themes, especially the elusive quest for permanence and stability in a rapidly changing world. As an Emmy-nominated documentarian currently navigating a transitional phase in his career, Wilson weaves his personal anxieties about artistic relevance into the film’s broader narrative. The documentary captures his unpredictable creative process, from a Zoom pitch marked by hesitation over the film’s title to a class on writing Hallmark-style television movies, which offers an ironic counterpoint to Wilson’s more idiosyncratic approach.
A significant thread in “The History of Concrete” is the challenge of affordable housing in New York and beyond. Wilson provides a ground-level view of new housing developments, political debates, and community activism, illustrating the complexity and difficulty of creating equitable urban living spaces. Notably, the film highlights a scandal involving a recently constructed skyscraper that is already experiencing internal structural failures due to inferior concrete, underscoring the material’s fallibility despite its reputation for solidity.
True to Wilson’s signature style, the documentary does not follow a conventional narrative but instead constructs an “urban travelogue” made up of seemingly disparate vignettes. These include an unexpectedly unsettling small business related to memorials, insights into the management of public swimming pools, and the introduction to an eccentric annual convention, all contributing layers of humor and humanity. The film also uncovers an unusual love story that adds an element of warmth and peculiarity to the work.
“The History of Concrete” retains the witty, melancholic tone of Wilson’s earlier projects, combining offbeat humor with thoughtful reflection on the infrastructures that shape everyday life. The film stands as an unconventional yet insightful meditation on both the physical and symbolic foundations of city living.