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The History of Concrete

  • NOT RATED
  • 2026
  • 1 HR, 41 min
  • OCT 16 → OCT 22
Filmmaker John Wilson holds a camera pointed into a mirror in a scene from The History of Concrete.
The History of Concrete movie poster.
Details
NOT RATED
Released 2026, United States
Comedy, Documentary
1 hour, 41 minutes
Magnolia Pictures
English
Starring
  • John Wilson
Director

John Wilson

Following the finale of his TV series, filmmaker 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. To tell this seemingly drab story, he decides to use the industry-approved Hallmark formula to 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.

Film Stills

Two men stand in front of a cement truck in a scene from The History of Concrete.
Filmmaker John Wilson holds a camera pointed into a mirror in a scene from The History of Concrete.
Bricklayers in grey shirts stand in line at a Best Bricklayer contest in a scene from The History of Concrete.
Full Cast
John Wilson Self
Additional Credits
John Wilson Director

Reviews

“Wilson’s debut feature The History of Concrete shows the expert essayist as sneakily profound as ever, contemplating life and art and piecing together meaning from the fragments.”

Nicolas Rapold
Sight & Sound top publication

“I doubt any movie, especially not any documentary, will make me laugh harder this year, and many of its emotional grace notes land fully. Even with my high expectations, The History of Concrete is a small triumph.”

Daniel Fienberg
The Hollywood Reporter

“Though an extension of the same tone that was experienced in his HBO series, this feature is more than just one very long episode of his show. Instead, it’s like Wilson has fully become a funnier, more frenetic version of Frederick Wiseman.”

Chase Hutchinson
TheWrap

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