The History of Concrete at Speed Cinema

The History of Concrete
Directed by John Wilson
Friday, October 9, 6 pm | BUY TICKETS
$12 | $8 Speed members
“Wilson’s debut feature The History of Concrete shows the expert essayist as sneakily profound as ever, contemplating life and art and piecing together meaning from the fragments.”—Nicolas Rapold, Sight & Sound
Following the finale of his acclaimed HBO series How To with John Wilson, NYC documentarian John Wilson looks to the bedrock of his beloved New York City for inspiration and structure. 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. After attending a workshop on how to write and sell a Hallmark movie, he decides to use the industry-approved Hallmark formula to tell this seemingly drab story and 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. 2026, U.S., DCP, 100 minutes. Recommended for 16+