Desperate to convince his mother that she is mentally ill and needs help, a young man films her as she frantically empties the contents of their refrigerator onto the kitchen floor.
Through his eyes, she ultimately sees the truth.
"Seafood Tester" is one of 16 short films included in this year's edition of "I Dream in Widescreen," a showcase of bachelor of fine arts thesis films from students at the University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film and Television.
The 2012 showcase includes a diverse collection of short features, along with a documentary about Tucson street art, a music video featuring Brian Lopez and a "Glee"-ful all-hands-on-deck musical.
The films - most are five to 10 minutes long - will be shown Saturday night at the Fox Tucson Theatre. Admission is free, but the event drew 1,100 people last year, and organizers recommend arriving early to secure a seat.
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"There's going to be really great films," said Rory O'Rear, 25, whose film, "Ship of Fools," is described as an absurdist tragedy about a man going insane due to a crushing fear of death - yet still contains moments of humor.
"The bar seems to get raised every year. People seem to be learning from each other, learning from each previous class that comes through," O'Rear said.
Saturday's showcase is the culmination of an intense 2 1/2-year program. Students apply in their sophomore year, and at the most only 20 are selected.
Many started writing their thesis projects over the summer and then filmed through the fall. They spent the spring fine-tuning.
Saturday's showcase will include the awarding of the FotoKem New Filmmaker Award, which carries a grand prize of $5,000 in film services that the winning director can use to jump-start the next project.
It also offers critical recognition at a pivotal moment in a filmmaker's career, noted Lisanne Skyler, who teaches screenwriting and directing at the UA.
This year's jurors include Jon Korn, the shorts programmer for the Sundance Film Festival; Zoe Elton, the programming director for the Mill Valley Film Festival in California; and Robert Hawk, an independent film producer.
Most of the students will try to enter their shorts in the festival circuit. And most plan to leave Tucson to pursue their dreams in New York or Los Angeles.
"Seafood Tester" is a film years in the making for Darious J. Britt, who also plans a feature-length version.
Inspired by true events in his life, Britt said he wanted to present his story in a way that the audience "can walk away with a sense of not only being entertained but also maybe having learned something about life and relationships and love and things of that nature, and what people will go through for family."
At 27, Britt is one of the older students.
"I've always had a passion for storytelling," said Britt, who grew up in North Carolina and then spent four years in the U.S. Air Force. "It gave me time to grow up and see the world."
While working as a jet mechanic - "the farthest thing from anything creative; it's all left brain," he said - he continued to accumulate stories and life experiences.
"It's one of those things that doesn't go away. It's almost suffocating when you have things to express and no way to express them."
For years he had wanted to channel his stories as a comic book artist, but by the time he left the Air Force he was focused on film, feeling that would give him more freedom to explore his characters.
Britt plays the son in "Seafood Tester," and local artist Toreenee Wolf embraced the role of his mother.
"We decided to go all the way. We didn't hold any punches," Britt said. "I think we hit the mark."
Britt, a natural in this film, had taken a couple of acting classes and studied on his own.
He said he also learned a lot about acting from directing, although he admitted that it's tricky to direct yourself. "It helps to have an extra set of eyes," he said.
Britt also acted in "A Wash in the Sound of Birds," a highly stylized short directed by classmate Nicholas Watts.
Part of the intensity of the last year came from pitching in to help on classmates' films as needed - from manning lights to sound and acting. "Finding time to commit to your own film can be quite a juggle," Britt said.
Ricardo Bracamonte's film, "Bombing Arizona," is the only documentary in the showcase.
"I have a passion for documenting local issues," he said.
The 21-year-old Tucson native, who discovered filmmaking at Tucson High Magnet School, hopes to move to New York and explore video editing.
"Bombing Arizona" shows his skill in drawing out a handful of artists to reveal a complex and diverse world of street art - some creations legal and others not. Bombing refers to throwing up a large work, or hitting a lot of areas in one night.
"They had a lot to say," he said - from a muralist who talked about the escapism that his art offered as he transformed a blank wall into a portrait of Frida Kahlo, to another who wanted to send a social message about control.
"It was definitely a process of trying to find those moments," he said of capturing salient explanations.
Bracamonte said he's hoping for an open response from the audience, conceding that tagging "is one of those things that's not really accepted as a whole."
If you go
• What: "I Dream in Widescreen," a showcase of 16 short films from students in the University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film and Television.
• When: 7 p.m. Saturday. Doors open at 6.
• Where: Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St.
• Admission: Free.
