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CultureQuiet 5d · day 8

John Wilson's 'The History of Concrete' opens to acclaim after festival debut

The 'How To with John Wilson' creator's first feature film hits theaters Sept. 18 with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score and a wave of critical profiles.

newest coverage 5d agosummary written 5d ago14 pieces NewswiresRedditGoogle NewsMastodon

What to know

  • John Wilson's first feature film, 'The History of Concrete,' opened in U.S. theaters September 18 after a headliner slot at the Rockaway Film Festival.
  • The film holds a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score and 81/100 Metacritic rating following reviews from The New Yorker, NYT, Time, WSJ and others.
  • Wilson used a round of interviews (Gothamist, Guardian, Variety) to discuss his transition from HBO to film and his critiques of contemporary documentary storytelling.

“I just started following him and making the film with him instead.”

John Wilson, Director · Gothamist ↗ · Sep 17

John Wilson Director and subjectJosh Safdie Executive producerSam Fleischner Rockaway Film Festival co-founderZohran MamdaniZohran Mamdani NYC mayor

John Wilson's 'The History of Concrete' opens to acclaim after festival debut
Gothamist

How it unfolded 7 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 3 pieces in two hours at Sep 18, 3 PM; 14 pieces over 8 days (9 articles · 5 posts) Sep 16, 5 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 16, 7 AM — quietSep 16, 9 AM — quietSep 16, 11 AM — quietSep 16, 1 PM — quietSep 16, 3 PM — quietSep 16, 5 PM — quietSep 16, 7 PM — quietSep 16, 9 PM — quietSep 16, 11 PM — quietSep 17, 1 AM — quietSep 17, 3 AM — quietSep 17, 5 AM — quietSep 17, 7 AM — quietSep 17, 9 AM — quietSep 17, 11 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 17, 1 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Sep 17, 3 PM — quietSep 17, 5 PM — quietSep 17, 7 PM — quietSep 17, 9 PM — quietSep 17, 11 PM — quietSep 18, 1 AM — quietSep 18, 3 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 18, 5 AM — quietSep 18, 7 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 18, 9 AM — quietSep 18, 11 AM — quietSep 18, 1 PM — quietSep 18, 3 PM — 3 pieces · 1 article · 2 posts — Mastodon 2, Newswires 1Sep 18, 5 PM — quietSep 18, 7 PM — quietSep 18, 9 PM — quietSep 18, 11 PM — quietSep 19, 1 AM — quietSep 19, 3 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Sep 19, 5 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 19, 7 AM — quietSep 19, 9 AM — quietSep 19, 11 AM — 3 pieces · 2 articles · 1 post — Google News 2, Reddit 1Sep 19, 1 PM — quietSep 19, 3 PM — quietSep 19, 5 PM — quietSep 19, 7 PM — quietSep 19, 9 PM — quietSep 19, 11 PM — quietSep 20, 1 AM — quietSep 20, 3 AM — quietSep 20, 5 AM — quietSep 20, 7 AM — quietSep 20, 9 AM — quietSep 20, 11 AM — quietSep 20, 1 PM — quietSep 20, 3 PM — quietSep 20, 5 PM — quietSep 20, 7 PM — quietSep 20, 9 PM — quietSep 20, 11 PM — quietSep 21, 1 AM — quietSep 21, 3 AM — quietSep 21, 5 AM — quietSep 21, 7 AM — quietSep 21, 9 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — quietSep 21, 1 PM — quietSep 21, 3 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 7 AM — quietToday, 9 AM — quietToday, 11 AM — quietToday, 1 PM — quiet 123–4567
Sep 17Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 2:25 PM ET
  1. 7

    Wilson criticizes state of documentary filmmaking in Variety interview

    In a Variety interview, Wilson discusses the film and voices criticism of trends in the documentary space.

    “People Are Retelling Stories That Have Already Happened…”
    — John Wilson
  2. 6

    Guardian interview surfaces Mamdani connection and mixed reviews continue

    The Guardian interviews Wilson and notes NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's April promotional video with Wilson supporting a sidewalk-shed reduction plan; Tom's Guide publishes a more mixed review the same day.

    “There might be a kind of sickness in shooting things this way…”
    — John Wilson
    • wcbdata@vis.social

      Why is John Wilson not on the fedi? https://www. theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/ 19/john-wilson-concrete-documentary-movie?CMP=share_btn_url

      wcbdata@vis.socialMastodon5d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  3. 5

    NYT and Time publish opening-day reviews

    Alissa Wilkinson of the New York Times and Stephanie Zacharek of Time both review the film on its release day, framing it as a broader meditation beyond its titular subject.

  4. 3

    Gothamist profiles Wilson on transition from HBO to film

    Gothamist interviews Wilson about moving from television to feature filmmaking, his background making 'Looners' at Binghamton University, and comments from Rockaway Film Festival co-founder Sam Fleischner on his style.

    “I feel like the world just gets more and more absurd…”
    — Sam Fleischner
  5. 4

    'The History of Concrete' opens in U.S. theaters

    John Wilson's first feature-length film, executive produced by Josh Safdie, opens nationwide with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score and an 81/100 Metacritic rating.

    1. 1 outlet ‘The History of Concrete’: John Wilson’s New Movie Reviewed

      first by NYT Movies, 6d ago

    2. 1 outlet “The History of Concrete” Humanizes the Material World

      first by New Yorker, 8d ago

  6. 2

    WSJ and other outlets post pre-release reviews

    The Wall Street Journal and other publications publish reviews ahead of the film's theatrical debut, generally favorable toward Wilson's approach.

    1. 1 outlet ‘The History of Concrete’ Review: John Wilson Transcends His Title

      first by WSJ, 7d ago

  7. 1

    New Yorker publishes early review calling film politically resonant

    Richard Brody reviews the film ahead of release, describing it as rich in authentic discovery and noting its unfolding of the circumstances of Wilson's post-HBO life, including his struggle to raise financing independently.

    “a team of people, a big budget to do fun stuff that takes a lot of planning…”
    — John Wilson
  8. background

    Rockaway Film Festival headlines with Wilson's concrete documentary — About 350 people gathered on Rockaway Beach at the makeshift Arverne Cinema, built next to a defunct concrete plant, to watch the film as the ninth annual Rockaway Film Festival's headliner.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 2 outlets John Wilson on his unlikely concrete movie: ‘There might be a kind of sickness in shooting things this way’

    first by The Guardian, 5d ago · also Guardian Culture

and 4 smaller pieces