The secret message of John Wilson’s debut feature documentary, ‘The History of Concrete’
Nobody who’s remotely familiar with John Wilson’s funny, angsty HBO series How To with John Wilson will be surprised to discover that his debut feature documentary, The History of Concrete , is not really about concrete. Wilson introduces us to a guy who removes tattoos from corpses and mounts the dead inked skin as mementos for loved ones. He interviews a New York park official who details how…
John Wilson's debut feature documentary, 'The History of Concrete,' is not truly about concrete itself. Instead, Wilson explores various peculiar subjects like tattoo removal from corpses and purging poops from public swimming pools. He avoids dwelling on the topic to maintain short, attention-grabbing segments. The documentary reveals two astonishing facts about concrete: its invisibility and how our distracted engagement with it can lead to disasters.
Despite being the world's most-used material, accounting for 30 billion tons annually, most people are unaware of its significance. Concrete is responsible for 8% of climate-warming carbon emissions, but it is essential for protecting us from climate change-related damage. Wilson's film highlights the need to pay attention to concrete, which we often overlook due to its ubiquity and mundanity.
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