An official trailer for The History of Concrete is now out. The new footage of the upcoming documentary offers a glimpse of a hilarious blend of documentary filmmaking and offbeat humor centered on an unlikely subject: concrete.
The film comes from John Wilson, the director behind HBO’s How to with John Wilson series. Marking his feature directorial debut, the film explores the world’s most-used building material and its place in New York through his unusual documentary style.
“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. 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,” reads the synopsis. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews.
Check out The History of Concrete trailer below:
What do we see in The History of Concrete trailer?
The trailer introduces Wilson’s strange approach, opening with street interviews asking New Yorkers if they ever think about concrete. Then it shifts to a video call with producers who ask about the working title. Wilson gives them the name, followed by an awkward pause before one producer simply says, “Okay.” The moment hints at their doubts about the unusual project.
The footage shows Wilson travelling to the “World of Concrete” convention. He attends the lunar research sessions where scientists reveal they’ll require concrete on Mars. Wilson also joins chewing gum removal specialists as they clear gum from the road. A scene also shows that he encounters a bricklayer competition and an impersonator named “Elvis Chisel.”
The trailer also describes how hard it is to get people interested in concrete. Wilson struggles to keep his ideas while dealing with the industry’s expectations.
The 102-minute feature is executive produced by Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein, Conor Hannon, and Richie Doyle, while Wilson directs, produces, and stars in it.
The History of Concrete hits theaters on September 18, 2026, distributed by Magnolia Pictures.
Originally reported by Manoj Chekkilla on ComingSoon.
