The History of Concrete Is John Wilson, Supersized

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The HBO show How to With John Wilson wasn’t really about how to do anything. Though each episode started with a simple instruction – like cleaning your ears or watching birds – it quickly became a funny and thoughtful journey. John Wilson, the show’s creator and narrator, would begin with these everyday topics, but his explorations always wandered off into unexpected places, often starting in New York City and ending up somewhere completely different. For example, an episode about ear cleaning might end with a visit to a community in West Virginia fascinated by electromagnetic fields. These seemingly simple ‘how-to’ guides were really just a starting point for Wilson to explore bigger ideas about life, connection, and even the art of filmmaking itself.

Even for a filmmaker known for unusual subjects, Tim Wilson’s documentary The History of Concrete presents a real challenge – it’s like willingly taking on an incredibly difficult task. The film, which premiered at Sundance, isn’t just a longer version of Wilson’s earlier short videos; it’s an experiment to see how his free-flowing style works with a remarkably dry topic. The result is charmingly rough around the edges, though it occasionally feels like it might fall apart. Wilson pretends his filmmaking is a casual, unplanned process, but it’s actually a carefully constructed story. He weaves together street footage, personal memories, and multiple storylines, building them into a cohesive whole with clever editing and a touch of humor.

In The History of Concrete, the film occasionally slows down as the director, Wilson, explores big questions about creativity, the fleeting nature of life, and finding purpose. What keeps the documentary moving forward is, appropriately, concrete itself. Though it’s not as focused on building materials as last year’s Architecton, the film does spend a significant portion of its budget on a trip to Rome to showcase ancient concrete structures. It meanders through a concrete industry event, including a bricklaying contest, and considers the downside of building with a material that inevitably deteriorates. Concrete acts as a grounding force for what could otherwise be a disjointed film, even as Wilson also visits a gum-removal business, pays homage to a short-lived aquarium in Brooklyn, and observes a grueling 3100-mile race where runners complete countless laps around a single city block in Queens.

Rather than a documentary about concrete, The History of Concrete is a film about the process of trying to make a film about concrete. It often circles back to this core idea when it feels lost, though it’s debatable if there’s a clear central theme. Ultimately, the film seems to be an exploration of the challenges and inherent ridiculousness of creating art while navigating the demands of capitalism. A key part of the movie follows Zoom meetings where Wilson and his team pitch their project to an agent who increasingly realizes it has no commercial potential. A running joke highlights how everyone involved keeps using business jargon like ‘segment’ and ‘presentation’ to describe the film, suggesting a widespread awareness of how content is created and consumed – perhaps even more so than the director himself.

After the events of How to, Wilson finds himself with a small following but limited resources. The film then follows him to a class on writing Hallmark movies, where he seeks inspiration from highly predictable storytelling. Though his own films feature coincidences and clever connections—some natural, some created by him—they’re ultimately driven by a deep fascination with the quirks and passions of others. Wilson is constantly sidetracked, not because he lacks focus, but because he finds people endlessly captivating, even when they’re doing something ordinary.

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2026-01-23 19:54