The History of Concrete

Right off the bat, I am not familiar with John Wilson's beloved HBO series 'How To with John Wilson'. But I'm glad to report that, even without any established familiarity with his particular brand of comedy, I found The History of Concrete to be heartwarming, thought-provoking and hilarious.

The approach is a unique in its making and highly addictive in its viewing. Wilson approaches the project as something undetermined and ongoing. We never see him, only listen to his wit via voiceover narration. He's okay with not knowing what his movie is about. Although after a series of tangents about New York and the struggles that come with being a creative, he eventually settles upon the idea of making his project about concrete.

But it goes without saying, it's not all about concrete (although it's almost admirable how much of it is). This is also a very human story about making friends, feeling frustrated in the city you know as home, and also learning how to define yourself as an artist -- even when your work isn't being financed. What's endearing about this documentarian -- and the same applies to all the greatest documentarians in history -- is Wilson's sincere interest in people and their activities. Whilst his sense of humour is dry and sardonic, his appetite for knowledge and experience is not. There's a real sense of empathy throughout.

Whether he realises it or not (I'm sure he does) Wilson has created a fascinating metaphor with concrete. It's something utilised to fix things. But the concrete he focuses on, especially in New York, tends to be messy and surely only a short-term solution. Filmmaking and creativity in general have some parallels to concrete, especially in its perfections. You've got to admire how dedicated the man is when exploring every avenue of his chosen subject, touching on how terrible it is for the environment and the corruption of the largest corporations profiting from its continued need. And yet none of this is presented in a way that is didactic -- it's funny, sporadic and formally free-flowing. He's filming whatever's in front of him and whatever's interesting, in the simplest manner possible. All the experimentation comes in the editing and structing of such a lax, train-of-thought narrative.

You could argue that this is one of the most accessible docs to come out in a long time, and part of why is because it has a sprinkle of everything. One might think that the lack of conventional structure would make the film less entertaining to a commercial audience. The opposite is the case. Let us be honest, very few people seeing this film at this year's LFF have sought it out because they're interested in concrete. But it's made deeply interesting through going on the journey with this individual, reacting as you might react, with no filter.

Structurally inventive, and truly original, The History of Concrete is not one to miss. Even if you don't commonly seek out documentaries, there is no reason why this shouldn't appeal to you if you like stories, places and people.