Synopsis

Portugal. The Man's "Modern Jesus" unfolds as a restless cross-country portrait of America, moving through rural towns, back roads, churches, workshops, bars, and open landscapes. Instead of following a conventional narrative, the video assembles candid encounters with eccentric locals, musicians, workers, athletes, families, and the band itself. The images shift between polished high-definition photography and rougher lo-fi footage, creating an unpredictable collage of everyday life, isolation, belief, danger, humor, and self-reliance.

Factoids & Trivia

• The footage came from a 20-day journey through 15 states and 15 locations, rather than from a conventional studio-based video shoot.

• The production used six cameras and mixed several visual formats. Despite its documentary-like appearance, the video contains original footage rather than stock material.

• The traveling crew encountered barbed-wire wrestlers in Texas, musicians in New Orleans, banjo players in Tennessee, a boxer in Detroit, Wyoming ranchers, and a cow giving birth.

• The shoot included particularly risky encounters. Portugal. The Man's Zach Carothers said members of the crew were nearly attacked with stun guns while filming one group.

• A World War II-era biplane was used for aerial footage, including barrel rolls, during the trip.

• Most of the band was not present for the location filming. John Gourley traveled separately for a few days to record his portions, while the road-trip footage had already been gathered by the filmmakers.

• The band deliberately gave the project considerable creative freedom. Carothers described the finished piece as footage from the filmmakers' own journey with the song placed over it, rather than a tightly preplanned treatment.

• The video was nominated for Best International Rock Video at the 2013 UK Music Video Awards.

• "Modern Jesus" appeared on the 2013 album "Evil Friends" and was released digitally as the album's third single on August 30, 2013.