Bruce Springsteen has released his directorial debut: a 10-minute post-apocalyptic western inspired by his song Hunter of Invisible Game.

Released on his website, the impressionistic short film stars the singer himself as a lonely man in a dangerous world, carrying guns and saving children. It was made with filmmaker Thom Zimny, who was responsible for past Springsteen documentaries about Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town.

"For a long part of the year, Thom Zimny and I have been talking about shooting a short film for Hunter of Invisible Game," Springsteen wrote on his official website. "We've finally got the job done, and we think it’s one of our best."

For Springsteen, this film was a way of marking the end of his two-year international tour, which comprised nearly 170 shows. "Thanks to you [all], we have dwelled deep within the transformative power of rock'n'roll," he wrote. "You’ve helped us bring a new and revitalized E Street Band into being. We take this break with a sense of joy, renewed purpose and filled with the spirit to bring you our best in the future. We’ve still got a few surprises for you."

Many critics cited Hunter of Invisible Game as a highlight of High Hopes, Springsteen's 18th studio album. It was a track that emerged slowly, the singer told Rolling Stone, starting as a title he wrote down many years ago but growing into one of his "favourite" songs on the record. "I don't remember a lot about it except I said, 'That's a nice title,'" Springsteen recalled. "I wrote it down and it sat there. Then I did more reading of other things. And I started to get into this sort of post-apocalyptic idea. The idea of these travellers in the wasteland, and what's the guy trying to do? He's trying to hold onto their humanness, their humanity in all of this ruin. That was the idea ... The guy who is hunting out remnants of what makes the spirit."

Released in January, High Hopes debuted at No 1 in the UK.