15 supremely cinematic music videos that could (and should) be feature films

“Jesus of Suburbia” – Green Day

When Green Day made this grand return to music in 2004, they debuted the album American Idiot, which they dubbed a “punk rock opera.” The album’s 13 tracks (with “Jesus of Suburbia” and “Homecoming” both being split into five parts) tells the story of Jesus of Suburbia, an American, lower-middle-class suburban teen who hates his hometown and everyone around him — totally relatable — so he leaves.

The video for “Jesus of Suburbia” definitely helps tell the story of the album. The 12-minute video opens with the Jesus of Suburbia confronting his girlfriend Whatsername under a sketchy bridge. When he storms off, she throws something at him and yells “f–k you!” and he runs back to push her against the wall. This seems to set the tone for the punk couple’s twisted relationship.

The rest of the clip shows Jesus and Whatsername partying, doing drugs, and defacing public property. We also get a look into the protagonist’s complicated home life and his relationship with his mother, who likes to party and get drunk with his friends as much as he does, and also slaps him across the face.

Unlike all of the other videos on this list, “Jesus of Suburbia” may soon be a movie — sort of. As you may or may not know, the album American Idiot was adapted for the stage in the Broadway musical of the same name, and plans for a movie adaptation have been in the works for years. Looks like we might get to hear more about St. Jimmy after all!