(De)constructing “America”: the Case of Emir Kusturica’s Arizona Dream (1993)

• Published in: European journal of American studies
• Main Author: David Roche
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: European Association for American Studies 2010
• Subjects: Alaska; American Dream; Arizona Dream; Balkan War; Eskimos; Ethnic diversity; History America; E-F; United States; E151-889; Sociology (General); HM401-1281; eskimo*
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.4000/ejas.8653; https://doaj.org/article/c3ef2156af19417c8b852c219eefc4bc

By means of an analysis of Kusturica’s only film about America, Arizona Dream, this article argues that while the United States offers a vision of a united society founded on diversity, it also represses, altering in the process both society and the landscape. National unity is consequently a dream – a dream the film suggests that has often been dreamed up by un-Americans. Filtered through Kusturica’s own perceptions of America – and his position on the Balkan War (1991-2001) – the film seems to suggest sadness at the loss of a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural perspective. Through its representations of geography and ethnic diversity, and its dense network of filmic citations, what Arizona Dream ultimately offers is consequently a European auteur’s view of the United States rather than a systematic deconstruction of the “imagined community” of “America.”