The film is about a young dreamer and his castles in the air, portrayed by a young and tender Johnny Depp. It is a highly un-American film shot in America—a true diversion by a Yugoslav director in Hollywood.
All of its characters dream about something. Some want to turn into a turtle and live forever, some want to build an airplane and fly to Papua New Guinea, and some want to construct a staircase out of Cadillacs and reach the moon. The touching hero Axel, played by Depp, dreams of snowy Alaska.
"Arizona Dream" can also be translated as "Arizona Dream," and indeed, this film can be perceived as a surrealistic dream of a growing young man.