Cement takes many forms in first teaser for John Wilson's The History Of Concrete

The How To filmmaker brings his feature debut to theaters next month.

By Drew Gillis | August 4, 2026 | 10:31am

Film News John Wilson

Cement takes many forms in first teaser for John Wilson's The History Of Concrete

The History Of Concrete is not, in fact, the conclusion to the 1994 John Goodman-starring film The Flintstones but rather the new documentary from John Wilson, the man who examined scaffolding, bird watching, and much more for three seasons on HBO’s How To. After premiering earlier this year at Sundance, Wilson’s feature debut is arriving in cinemas next month, and this morning we’ve gotten a first teaser from the project. The footage, while it lacks any narration, is unmistakably John Wilson, with some hand-held shots of concrete mixers, potholes, buildings, and other usually-unremarkable sights one might find on the streets of New York City.

“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,” reads an official synopsis for The History Of Concrete. “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.”

For our money, Wilson seems to have pulled it off. Commenting on the film at Sundance, A.V. Club film editor Jacob Oller remarked that “despite its shape and subject matter, The History Of Concrete isn’t Wilson simply stagnating,” writing, “His artistry lies in how he uses his medium—that perfectly renewable resource: human eccentricity—to tell increasingly personal stories, even when they’re about his signature style.”

The History Of Concrete hits theaters on September 18.

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