The History of Concrete

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The History of Concrete

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1h 41m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

97%

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65 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Following the finale of his acclaimed HBO series "How To with John Wilson", NYC documentarian John Wilson looks to the bedrock of his beloved New York City for inspiration and structure. Concrete, the world's most widely used building material, appears as an ever-present life force, and John sets out to make the definitive documentary on the matter. After attending a workshop on how to write and sell a Hallmark movie, he decides to use the industry-approved Hallmark formula to tell this seemingly drab story and increase his movie's appeal. But his foundation soon begins to crumble--literally and figuratively--as he struggles to balance artistic freedom with the realities of the modern film industry.

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Critics Consensus

The History of Concrete transforms a seemingly banal subject into a funny, moving, and genuinely revelatory exploration of the overlooked worlds and universal connections hiding in plain sight.

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Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

6 days ago

The gravitational joy of Wilson’s comic approach is watching how he follows his instincts and later applies his own sui generis mortar to the assembled vérité blocks.

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Barry Hertz

Globe and Mail

6 days ago

Wilson’s film feels like a puzzle that is being pieced together in real time, right in front of you. Not every fragment fits so neatly with the other, but that is also part of the movie’s significant charm.

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Stephanie Zacharek

TIME Magazine

6 days ago

Wilson is an affable armchair tour guide into offline worlds you’d never have thought to explore, and the movie has a casual, ambling charm.

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Alison Gillmor

Winnipeg Free Press

1 day ago

4/5

All this makes for an affecting, oddball tone, and it means that a film packed with obscure little facts about concrete also happens to be a moving meditation on time and memory, death and decay.

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Patrick McDonald

HollywoodChicago.com

1 day ago

5/5

The best documentaries are often not even about the subject at hand ... in this case concrete ... but a reflection of the filmmaker themselves. John Wilson takes a journey regarding concrete, and ends up making an imprint on our souls.

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Max Covill

It's The Pictures

1 day ago

B+

If you’re coming to The History of Concrete to find some interesting facts about the concrete, you’ll find some of that here. You’ll also find some wild detours into places and people that have to be seen in order to be believed.

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Ssvenus

19 hrs ago

It was silly and it was very Art Film. There were a lot of little funny moments.

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David I

1 day ago

Funny, emotional, touching, and poignant. Can’t ask for more than that.

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Anton A

1 day ago

Its a fun and entertaining ride with John Wilson on concrete!

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Roger

1 day ago

Enjoyable and informative film! Much fun!

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Kelly

2 days ago

If you know John Wilson’s work, absolutely see this. If you don’t, buy a subscription to HBO Max, binge watch his amazing show, and get to see this. It’s amazing.

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Nicholas E

5 days ago

There’s a moment in here that felt so existentially scary to me on a personal level, and I don’t think I’ll be able to get it out of my mind. That aside, this was very funny. I didn’t think documentaries were allowed to be this funny. I’d recommend checking this out with an audience, if you can. It’ll play a lot better than watching at home. This movie is a delight though. I kind of wish I had an easier way to watch it again, or to take people to see this. Regardless, I’ll be recommending this one to people for the rest of the year. (CHECK OUT MY HORROR MOVIE PODCAST: Morbid Curiosities)

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John Wilson

Director

John Wilson

Producer

Clark Filio

Producer

Shirel Kozak

Producer

Allie Viti

Producer

Josh Safdie

Executive Producer

The History of Concrete: Trailer 1

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The History of Concrete: Teaser

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Synopsis

Following the finale of his acclaimed HBO series "How To with John Wilson", NYC documentarian John Wilson looks to the bedrock of his beloved New York City for inspiration and structure. Concrete, the world's most widely used building material, appears as an ever-present life force, and John sets out to make the definitive documentary on the matter. After attending a workshop on how to write and sell a Hallmark movie, he decides to use the industry-approved Hallmark formula to tell this seemingly drab story and increase his movie's appeal. But his foundation soon begins to crumble--literally and figuratively--as he struggles to balance artistic freedom with the realities of the modern film industry.

Director: John Wilson
Producer: John Wilson, Clark Filio, Shirel Kozak, Allie Viti
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Central Pictures
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 18, 2026, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $545.3K
Runtime: 1h 41m

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