There’s been a select few individuals in the film space who have dedicated themselves to making pieces of art that deal with political and cultural change in the world by creating idiosyncratic and idealist pieces of art. I’d say they include: Nathan Fielder (whose see-all documentary, You Can See Everything, about Elizabeth Holmes hits theaters in a couple weeks), Lance Oppenheim (who co-directed with Fielder the above title, along with Primetime), and now, John Wilson – a person that I was not entirely familiar with. I’m coining them as the “Odd Pack,” as their art is unlike anything connected to the mainstream feature catalog, with their blending of narrative and nonfiction building, along with the exploration of how distorted reality can be (i.e. Primetime, The Curse).
John Wilson is a documentary filmmaker most known for his guerilla-style HBO show How To with John Wilson (also produced by Fielder), which is a three season journey where each episode tackles a specific tutorial and leads to many unexpected paths. This show was a hit. The History of Concrete is Wilson’s debut feature-length directorial effort. The film’s intriguing log-line, “A filmmaker applies lessons from a Hallmark movie writing workshop to pitch a documentary about concrete,” was enough for me to check this one out.
What begins as a cheeky, meandering portrait of John Wilson trying to navigate his next move post-HBO—including oddities and visual gags around the urban landscape of New York City—turns into something that will jar you. During the Writers Guild strike, Wilson attends a free workshop that details how to pitch and gather ingredients for a successful Hallmark movie. From there, we’re taken on a spiritual journey of the mundane that includes a diary of a 3,100 mile race in Brooklyn, a weird GQ party celebrating Kim Kardashian as “Man of the Year” that looks like it was in Bohemian Grove, DMX’s Christmas album, and poop in a pool. Somehow, Wilson manages to compile these proclivities and turn them into a hilarious, gray time.
I’ve never quite thought about concrete the way John Wilson does in 104 minutes. Wilson takes all of the above-mentioned and uses concrete as a long string lacing it all together. We’re taken to a literal conference for the concrete industry – a stunning finding – where 3D-printed concrete structures are presented, panels for “women in concrete” commence, and then a brick-laying contest. Concrete is seen as the literal bones of modern infrastructure, and this is why Wilson is so interested in it: his residing city is made of it, along with feeling a bit like a cracked foundation himself.
The fascination Wilson has with concrete is how it eventually decays: cracks in foundations, gum that is imprinted on the steps of businesses and drive-throughs, and the lack of checks and balances in modern construction in New York City. Concrete has also been at the center of many protests in New York City. Former Mayor Eric Adams is chronicled in the film as wanting to pass his affordable housing plan, which would lead to more and more buildings of concrete slabs rising and the destruction of beloved parks. It can be an easy metaphor for death, yet Wilson is more comfortable aligning this film with the ending of his hit HBO show.
With Hallmark bones, I feel like Wilson constructed this film with idealistic intentions. We’re told by the panel speaker at the guild workshop that Hallmark movies ultimately have serious conflict but will always end with the same solution. The same story is a washer-dryer combo of rinse and repeat. John Wilson does much of the same in the most sprawling ways possible. The passage of hope is something Hallmark movies and The History of Concrete have in common.
The History of Concrete is something that made me have a Big Dumb Look on my face watching this from start to finish. It’s utterly brilliant and equally hilarious. In a sense, this is the epitome of that line in Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie when Matt Johnson says, “Bird, you’re missing a great visual joke.” I recommend seeing this one with a big crowd down at Central Cinema this weekend.
Wyatt Allison can be found on Twitter/X @wyattartsknox and on Letterboxd @filmwyatt.
