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

• Published in: European journal of American studies
• Main Author: Roche, David
• 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; Film citation; Geography; Inuit; Metafiction; New York; eskimo*; inuit
• Online Access: http://ejas.revues.org/8653

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.”