Review of Arizona Dream (1993) by Barbara F — 01 Nov 2011

The movie has perhaps failed if the parable is too obscure for most viewers and critics to get it. For those who didn't, it is about growing up and having to leave the dreams of childhood behind. The characters in the film have all failed to do this, especially Elaine, with her obsession about wanting to fly and yet her fear of flying to Alaska. Grace shoots herself rather than grow up, though it is unclear what her dreams were and perhaps it was because she couldn't express her dreams that she also couldn't let go of them. Axel's dream of his uncle and himself as Eskimos and of his uncle telling him about the adult fish having both eyes on one side of its head is about how one loses one sort of vision to gain another.

Sadly, the film seems to me to be so immersed in its own metaphor that it fails to treat this subject with the depth and thoughtfulnesss it deserves. The idea that one has to abandon one's dreams to grow up and live in the real world can be contested. It depends what sort of dreams one is talking about. There are dreams, such as dreams of making the world a better place, or of personal achievement that should not be dismissed as childish. There is more to keeping one's dreams as an adult than Uncle Leo's pink wedding suit and young bride.