The History of Concrete
| The History of Concrete | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | John Wilson |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | John Wilson |
| Cinematography | Nellie Kluz |
| Edited by | Cori Wapnowska |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Magnolia Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The History of Concrete is a 2026 American documentary film directed by John Wilson in his feature directorial debut.
The film is produced by Wilson's frequent collaborators alongside executive producers Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, and Ronald Bronstein. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2026, and received a limited cinema release in the US from September 18.
Premise
After attending a workshop on how to write and sell a Hallmark movie, filmmaker John Wilson attempts to utilize the same commercial formula to create and sell a documentary about the history of concrete. The project evolves into a humorous and philosophical exploration of urbanism, the built environment, and the mundane textures of American life.[1]
Production
The film marks the feature directorial debut of John Wilson, best known for his critically acclaimed HBO series How To with John Wilson.[2] It is produced by Clark Filio, Shirel Kozak, and Allie Viti.
Executive producers include Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, and Ronald Bronstein, who previously collaborated with Wilson on his HBO series.[3] The film's unique premise—applying the Hallmark movie formula to a documentary subject—was highlighted by Sundance programmers as "effortlessly hysterical and genuinely hard to describe."[4]
Release
The History of Concrete premiered at the "Premieres" section at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2026.[5][6] In March 2026, Magnolia Pictures acquired distribution rights to the film.[7]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 24 critics' reviews are positive.[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[9]
In a positive review, Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "many of its emotional grace notes land fully."[10]
Adrian Horton of The Guardian gave the film four out of five stars and wrote that it "is consistently laugh-out-loud funny, compelling and wowing, if 20 minutes too long. And, of course, about much more than just concrete."[11]
References
- ↑ "The History of Concrete". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ↑ Pearis, Bill (December 10, 2025). "Sundance Film Fest 2026: Charli XCX, Courtney Love, Marianne Faithfull, Wu-Tang Clan, John Wilson, The State, more". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ↑ "Sundance Film Festival Announces 2026 Line-Up". RogerEbert.com. December 10, 2025. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ↑ Griffith, Huw (December 10, 2025). "Hollywood meets the world in Sundance line-up". Yahoo! News. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ↑ Kay, Jeremy (December 10, 2025). "2026 Sundance Film Festival unveils final Park City line-up". Screen Daily. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ↑ https://festival.sundance.org/program/film/6932fb441a5535ccac91b386
- ↑ Galuppo, Mia (March 25, 2026). "John Wilson Sundance Doc 'The History of Concrete' Lands at Magnolia (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
- ↑ "The History of Concrete". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
- ↑ "The History of Concrete". Metacritic. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
- ↑ Fienberg, Daniel (January 22, 2026). "'The History of Concrete' Review: John Wilson Ponders Permanence and Immortality in Hilarious and Poignant Feature-Length 'How To' Follow-Up". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ↑ Horton, Adrian (January 23, 2026). "The History of Concrete review – John Wilson's first movie is an absurd triumph". The Guardian. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
External links
- The History of Concrete at IMDb
- John Wilson interview about the filming process on Vulture, August 12, 2026