GoKawiilJohn Wilson's debut documentary 'The History of Concrete' avoids its own subject
John Wilson's first feature film, titled The History of Concrete, largely sidesteps the subject in its title. Instead it follows tangents like a man who preserves tattooed skin from corpses and a New York official who explains how pools are cleaned of waste, rarely lingering on concrete itself.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The review suggests Wilson's constant digressions may be a deliberate commentary on how overwhelming and inattentive we are to concrete despite its ubiquity in modern life. This stylistic choice continues the restless, jump-cutting sensibility he established on HBO's How To with John Wilson, now applied to feature-length nonfiction filmmaking.
- John Wilson's debut feature is nominally about concrete but avoids deep engagement with the material.
- The film instead explores tangential human stories, echoing the style of his HBO series How To with John Wilson.
- Critics interpret the avoidance as a pointed commentary on our collective inattention to concrete's massive role in daily life.
Source: fastcompany.com, 2026-10-03
Published there as: “The secret message of John Wilson’s debut feature documentary, ‘The History of Concrete’”
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