Film Review: ‘The History of Concrete’ Finds a Compelling Story in an Unlikely Premise

Have you ever thought about concrete? Like, really thought about it. No? Well, neither had I, at least until I saw this documentary. The History of Concrete is obsessed with the stuff. At the same time, John Wilson is obsessed with it in a way that you’ll never expect. What sounds like an industrial film is instead a surprisingly emotional, funny, and perhaps even moving tale. This is as much about the human experience as it is about concrete, and all the better for it.

The History of Concrete is a meta work, as Wilson balances trying to depict the rather drab subject matter with the realities of modern filmmaking. There are a lot of laughs that come out of this, as well as a genuine sense of melancholy at what a storyteller can be forced to subject themselves to. With his voiceover providing humor or pathos, by the end, you’ll have learned about concrete, sure, but you’ll also have learned about Wilson, as well as some average everyday New Yorkers, too.

Part of the joy of this documentary is seeing how organically it unfolds, but I’ll set it up, nonetheless. Searching for a new project, John Wilson ended up during the Writers Guild of America strike attending a seminar on writing romantic comedies for the Hallmark Channel. Using the principles of that course, he eventually lands on the topic of, well, the literal history of concrete.

From there, the doc goes off on Wilson’s various whimsies, including, but not limited to, people like DMX and Kim Kardashian, incidents like public pool diarrhea, and even a 3D printed Starbucks. Through it all, that building material that always surrounds us is ubiquitous. If it all sounds weird and unlikely to work, trust me, it is, but it does.

John Wilson is the reason why the film works, as his voiceover, as well as flights of fancy, keep your head above water. Somehow, Wilson makes the movie follow a certain logic, even when it’s focused on a very unusual New York City marathon, or talking to various folks involved in the world of concrete. The way Wilson brings it back to his life has emotion and pathos, while the individuals who he puts the camera on all manage to end up talking about concrete through the prism of life. What seems like a documentary short instead sustains easily for feature length.

The History of Concrete surprised me, not just in how different it was than I expected, but in how it was able to sustain its premise for slightly over 100 minutes. The doc may be a bit odder than you’ll want, but did you actually want a whole flick just about concrete? I can’t imagine anyone actually would, and in fact, it’s that reticence that gave life to this version in the first place. At the end of the day, John Wilson is the reason to check this one out, and I can’t wait to see what his next feature turns out to be.

SCORE: ★★★