Alicia Bori, Victoria Moreno, Sara Montull & Emma Sánchez

SARAH'S TOC

THE ONE-LINER

Sarah is a 15 year old teen who suffers OCD. She’ll be facing her insensitive teacher, Mrs Brown, when

her OCD arises at school.

PLOT

Sarah Miller is a 15-year-old girl suffering from OCD. Her mother, Grace Miller supports her in

everything and lives for her daughter. The story is reflected in Sarah Miller's daily life, in how she

copes with her problems. Sarah's best friend is Brooke Jones: she is the only classmate who helps and

supports Sarah at all times no matter the situation. On the other side is Mrs. Brown, her teacher. She

can't stand Sarah and has never come to understand or accept her, so Mrs. Brown and Grace always

have problems. During the story, Brooke will have to defend her friend from the insensitive teacher,

to which Grace will respond, fed up with the discrimination towards her daughter.

CHARACTERS

Grace Miller: Grace is 40 years old and is Sarah's mother. She is kind, understanding and always

helps her daughter with whatever she needs. Although Grace is not very happy that Mrs Brown is her

daughter's teacher since she does not share the same opinions with her and disagrees with

everything she does about her.

Sarah Miller: Insecure girl with OCD (15 years old). Use rules and guidelines to order everything she

has because otherwise she thinks something bad will happen. She also gets obsessed with irrelevant

things like just stepping on the crosswalk lines when she crosses a street.

Mrs Brown: Mrs. Brown is a typical teacher who is strict and cold with her students. She’s very

impatient, and doesn’t think about her students. She always wears a bun and glasses. She is short,

has dark hair and brown eyes. She is 40 years old.

Brooke Jones: Brooke Jones is Sarah Miller's friend. She has dark hair and is normally loose. She is

of average height and physically normal. She is very empathetic and always ready to help whoever

needs it. She supports and helps Sarah in everything she needs and stands up to anyone who

disrespects her or does not empathize with her.

 Alicia Bori, Victoria Moreno, Sara Montull & Emma Sánchez

Setting (location) and time: The story begins in the home of Grace and Sarah Miller, and unfolds at

the school. It is an ordinary day in Sarah's life, where she will be confronted by her teacher Mrs

Brown, accompanied by her best friend Brooke Jones and the support of her mother.

DIALOGUE

Shot of Sarah sleeping. The alarm sounds. Grace enters her room.

Grace: Good morning honey!

Grace kisses Sarah on her right cheek. Sarah points to the left one to keep the balance.

Grace: Agh! (Kissing her left cheek)

Sarah: Good morning mum.

Grace: Breakfast is ready. You can’t be late today. Mrs Brown is your first class, remember?

Sarah: I swear that woman hates me.

Grace: Yes, I know honey. That woman gets on my nerves.

Sarah goes downstairs and sits on the table.

Sarah: Mom, (She pushes the table) I've told you I can’t eat it this way. It’s not balanced, it’s NOT

balanced!

Sarah replaces all the cutlery on the table and puts it in order, following the tablecloth pattern.

Grace: I’m sorry honey, but stop hitting the table! Everything is in order now, calm down.

Change of scene. Bathroom scene.

Sarah starts to get ready, but she has to repeat everything she does 5 times per side. Her mental voice counts every

time she does something.

Sarah's internal voice: I hate this part. Aghh, it's so messy. Let's fix this. Everything up to 3,

remember? 1, 2, 3… 1, 2, 3. I'll wear some blush today, where's my blusher? Oh, yes. And 3 again, 1, 2,

3,... 1, 2, 3…

Change of scene. Brooke and Sarah meet up to go to school together.

Sarah: Bye mum, see you later!

Grace: Bye, don’t be late!

Sarah: Okay!

Sarah closes the door

Brooke: Good morning!

Sarah: Good morning. Today it’s freezing!

 Alicia Bori, Victoria Moreno, Sara Montull & Emma Sánchez

Brooke: I know, I can’t move my hands!

Sarah and Brooke start walking towards school. They’re in front of the school, just one crosswalk away. The traffic

light turns green. Sarah can only step on the white lines. Brooke doesn’t notice and keeps walking.

Sarah: Yes!

Brooke: I know, she’s so annoying, but- Sarah? What are you doing?

Sarah looks up, missing the white line.

Sarah: Look what you’ve done! Now I have to start over!

Brooke: Sarah, the light will turn red at any second!

Sarah tries to start again, but Brooke grabs her by the arm and takes her by force to the other sidewalk. They fall to

the ground on the other side of the sidewalk. People from their school start mumbling, laughing and gossiping.

Mrs Brown: What’s going on? Everybody to class, now!

Mrs Brown notices Sarah and Brooke on the ground. They get up.

Mrs Brown: How strange, Sarah causing a scene. Did you get the attention you needed?

Brooke: We weren't causing any scene, we just fell while crossing the street.

Mrs Brown: I wasn’t talking to you, was I? Ugh, whatever, just go to class.

Change of scenes. Class.

Mrs Brown: Silence. Today we are going to talk about carbohydrates and lipids. Compounds of

carbon, hydrogen and oxygen are used to supply and store energy. Take out your notebooks, we're

going to copy down the theory.

Sarah arranges everything in her pencil case. She looks up, and notices the little things that trigger her OCD. That

boy keeps tapping his foot, the board isn’t completely erased, the cupboards aren’t organised. Her breathing speeds

up, her hands start sweating, her heartbeat accelerates. She places one of her hands on her chest. She stands up

and fixes the paperboard.

Mrs Brown: What do you think you are doing, interrupting my class? Go sit down right now or I'll

have to call your mother.

Brooke: I’ve had enough, this is ridiculous. Sarah suffers from OCD. Do you even know what that

means? You should try to know more about your own students instead of just being rude to them.

Mrs Brown: Teenagers nowadays come up with anything in order to stop class and victimize

yourselves.

Brooke: Are you listening to yourself? Mental health disorders are a real issue and it is more

important than your stupid carbohydrates and lipids. And I'm sorry, but you are losing all respect you
 Alicia Bori, Victoria Moreno, Sara Montull & Emma Sánchez

have to show us. You are supposed to be a role model for your students, and you are just giving a very

bad image of yourself.

Mrs Brown: That’s it. Both of you must stay in detention this afternoon. I’m calling your mother,

Sarah.

Change of scene. Mrs Brown 's office.

Mrs Brown: Good morning Ms Miller.

Grace: Let’s skip the formalities. I know why you’ve called me. Just so you know, I stand by my

daughter.

Mrs Brown: I can see where the problem comes from. You’re okay with your daughter clowning

around in class? I can’t teach with her! She keeps interrupting, and distracts the kids.

Grace: She can’t control it.She’s diagnosed with OCD, the school and the rest of teachers are aware of

it. You’re the only one who has a problem with Sarah. Do you really think she’s putting up a scene for

you?

Mrs Brown: Oh please, teenagers would do ANYTHING for attention, even making up diseases. I

can't believe that you, a grown adult, just goes along with it. Honestly, with all due respect, I think

you’re setting a bad example for your child.

Sarah: Mum, don’t worry. If she doesn't want to believe us, it's her problem. I don't want you to get in

trouble because of me.

Grace: No honey, it's not your fault. We’re not leaving this office until your teacher sets things

straight. Mrs Brown, try to understand the situation: OCD is a worldwide issue that not only affects

teenagers, but kids and adults as well. The problem is people like you, who aren't educated about the

issue. Mental health diseases are not something invented by teenagers, but diagnosed by

professionals. We don't have to put up with your disrespect, and you'll be held accountable for your

discrimination against people who suffer from mental health diseases.

Black screen: Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder in which a person has an irrational thought,
fear, or worry that he or she tries to control by performing a ritual activity to reduce anxiety. 1 in 200 children and
adolescents have OCD.
In school, obsessions and rituals such as checking, erasing, and redoing assignments affect attention and
concentration, homework completion, and school attendance. Older children and adolescents may believe they are
"crazy" and work hard to hide OCD from others. Coping with day-to-day living with OCD can be exhausting.

LINK TO THE VIDEO: https://youtu.be/ohO6F_O3q28