Girl Finds Out She's Adopted is a short film written by Dhar Mann and produced by Dhar Mann Studios. It premiered on November 24, 2021 on the Dhar Mann's 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Special as a feature film and was released separately on YouTube the next day. It is Dhar Mann's first feature film. A second Dhar Mann feature film was made in 2022, which was called NERD FIGHTS Mean Girl IN UPSIDE DOWN.
The story revolves around Sabrina, a girl who gets to know from her parents on her 15th birthday, that she's adopted. In a quest to find out who her true parents are, she gets to learn that family isn't all about blood, but love.
The film is exactly 1 hour, 1 minute and 13 seconds long.
Plot
Act I (Intro)
The film starts with her parents suprising Sabrina on her bedroom for her 15th birthday with a cake as the parents sing the Happy Birthday song. After blowing the candles on the cake, Sabrina with her parents appear to having a midnight family dinner.
As she finishes her dinner and is about to return back to her room, her parents reveal to her that she was adopted. Sabrina initially disregards it as a joke, but when she is about to leave, the truth soon dawns upon her and she starts to cry, questioning the reason why her birth parents gave up on her and asking the whereabouts of them. The adopted parents keep it a secret from her, while also convincing her that her birth parents loved her.
They further try to convince her to trust them but instead, she runs back to her room and starts to pack her things to leave in the middle of the night. Stopped by her adopted parents, she further rages and declares that she'll leave for good once she finds her birth parents and yells at them to exit her room. She and her parents spend most of the night crying in separate rooms.
Sabrina then posts an Instagram selfie of herself feeling sad and lonely, and her friend and fellow schoolmate, Toni calls her up and enquires her about the incident. She further suggests that there could be related documents hidden in the attic of Sabrina's house, to which she agrees and heads for the attic. On the other hand, her adopted parents are sleeping and all of a sudden, her mom wakes up and tries to sneak out to check on Sabrina, but is stopped by the dad. They both have a brief conversation about if they should tell Sabrina the truth on why she got adopted, but come to a conclusion that they shouldn't and return back to sleep.
Meanwhile, Sabrina sneaks her way into the attic and finds her birth certificate, and manages to find the name of her birth parents. The next day, Sabrina meets up with Toni at school, and she tells her that she found who her birth dad is, that he's in prison and that she's gonna attempt later to visit him. In shock of what Sabrina said, Toni almost spills the beans and they are heard by their teacher, Mr. Soublet, to whom they somehow explain that it's for an upcoming stage play. After convincing their teacher, Toni apologises and asks if it's a good idea and further tells that she'd be scared, to which Sabrina tells her that her dad is only gonna be excited to see her, and that she'll fake an act to secure entry into the prison. Soon, the bell rings and they both walk to class.
Act II (The Prison Meetup)
After school, Sabrina walks up to the prison complex and notices a prison guard being surprised by his family for his birthday. As he waves goodbye to them, Sabrina starts her act and she starts to cry. Upon being questioned by the guard, she explains that it's her dad's birthday and that he's is in jail, and that she can't visit him, given that her mom is sick. She further adds up that he might think that she doesn't like him, to which the prison guard agrees and secures her entry into the prison.
As she waits in the visiting area, her father Darius Mulgannon is brought in there. Initially happy to see her birth father for the first time, as the conversation progresses she slowly learns that her "birth dad" is more of a criminal, than a family-man; that he clearly doesn't care about seeing her. She further gets to know that her "birth mom" went by many fake names to evade the police, and that Sabrina has a sister named Bella. Although disappointed with the fact that her birth dad doesn't care about her, she leaves with determination to find her sister, and eventually, her mom.
Back home, she starts to search the internet for her sister's address, while still disregarding her adopted mom's wish for Sabrina to stay with them for Thanksgiving Dinner. After finding out where her sister lives, she later meets up with Toni, discussing about the previous events and how she found out where her sister lives. Concerned, Toni asks if it's really a good idea and further suggests that her mom would have already met her if she was really looking for her. But Sabrina being too determined to not give up, tells her that her sister is her own blood and asks what's the worst that could happen.
Act III (Meetup with her Sister)
Later, Sabrina walks up to her sister's house and knocks on the door, which is answered by the maid. Sabrina asks the maid if she is Bella's mom but the maid said no and told her she was the maid, Sabrina told the maid that Bella was her friend but the maid said she was more older then her but then Sabrina said Bella babysat her, and then Bella's fiance scares the maid and then Bella's fiance gave her a handshake, Sabrina gave him a handshake and says his name is Dave and he tells Sabrina to come inside and tells her that Bella isn't inside. Sabrina gets in the house and followed Dave, the Maid closes the door and Dave tells Sabrina that they were having thanksgiving tonight and tells her Bella would have no problem joining you, Dave then says "I'm sure you know Bella's mother". Then Bella's mother comes downstairs and says hello to Sabrina and asks her why she looks so familiar. Then Dave says that Bella used to babysit her. Then Bella's Mom said, "Oh! Of course I remember you! Gosh, it's been so long. How have you been?" and Sabrina says, "Good." Dave asks if Sabrina wants to have a seat, but then Bella's mom says that she actually wants to show her around Bella's house. Dave says that's a great idea. Bella's mom asks if Sabrina wants any water or juice and Sabrina says she's fine and doesn't want anything to drink. Then Bella says that her house is so beautiful and then Bella's mom says, "Thank you." Then Bella's mom asks Sabrina to tell her exactly who she is and where she came from and if Bella knows if she is here now and Sabrina says no. Then Bella's mom said, "Well, what have you said to David?" and Sabrina said, "Nothing. Nothing at all." Then Bella's mom said, "Okay, good. Now, I'm gonna need you to leave before -" Then Bella came back from shopping and scared her mom and she says she didn't even hear her come in. Bella says, "Sorry, I came through the back. Um, I didn't know we were expecting company." Bella's mom says that they were not and that Sabrina just showed up and almost ruined everything. Bella asks Sabrina if she knows her and then Bella's mom says to Bella that Sabrina said that she used to babysit her and Bella says she never babysat anyone. Then Bella's mom said, "What? Okay, so who are you, really?". Sabrina then apologizes and says that she lied and that she didn't know what to say when her maid asked how she knew Bella's mom and then she reveals to Bella and her mom that the truth is that she's Bella's sister and that her mom is also her mom. Then David calls Bella and she says she'll be upstairs in a minute. Bella's mom tells Sabrina that she needs her to leave right now and that she'll distract David and tells Bella to get rid of Sabrina now and she agrees. Sabrina then cries and asks Bella's mom if she even cares that she's her daughter. Bella then says that they don't have time for this now and takes her outside. She then tells Sabrina that she doesn't want her to feel bad and says that her mom is not Sabrina's. Sabrina then says, "She's not?" and Bella says, "No. I'm adopted. But ... I never told my fiance". Sabrina asks why and Bella says, "Well ... when your birth dad is a prisoner and your mom's a ... I don't even know what to say about her. It's not exactly something to be proud of. So I never told Dave, and ... I asked my new mom not to, either. That's why she freaked out when you showed up". Sabrina then asks her if she feels bad about lying to her fiance. Bella then says, "Let's not act like you're some innocent little angel, either. You just lied to get inside, didn't you?". Sabrina says, "Yeah. You're right, I ... I'm sorry". Bella then says, "I'd always planned on telling him. At first, I thought, "Hold off until we're engaged" and now it's "After the baby comes", I don't even know how to explain it". Sabrina then asks Bella if she knew about her. Bella then says, "Not until recently. Not until after our mom came by. Thank god Dave wasn't home". Sabrina then says, "She came here. Do you know how I can find her". Then Bella's mom came and asked what was taking her so long and said that David was calling her again and Bella says she'll be right there and then she says to Sabrina that she's sorry but that she has to go now and that if she really wants to find her mom, she gives her a paper that has her location on it and she finds out her mom is Sasha Whitlock and that she asked Bella for some money and she asks her if this is true and she says that after twenty years, that was the only reason she came back to see her and then says that she really has to go now and tells Sabrina that she hopes she hopes she finds what she's looking for. Sabrina then says, "Oh, if you ever want to come visit me, I live in 213 Grant Street". Bella then says, "I hate to say this, but I'm not gonna come visit you. And ... please don't come back here either. Not because I don't wanna see you, but because ... I hope you understand". We then see Sabrina's adoptive parents preparing dinner. Sabrina's adoptive mother says that she's been gone all day and that she really hopes she's alright and her husband says that he's sure that she's fine and that she's dealing with a lot right now and that it's understandable and Sabrina's adoptive mother says what if it's not to her and that they should call the police and that she's a child after all. Her husband says that she's smarter than a lot of adults and that she's going to come home and tells her wife not to worry and that if she's not back in an hour, they'll call and that calms her down.
Act IV (Sasha Whitlock's apartment Scene)
We then see Sabrina walking through Sasha Whitlock's neighborhood and her getting scared of all the people there after she hears them laugh. She then knocks on the door of Sasha's Whitlock's apartment and her husband opens it. He thinks it's the pill guy and when he finds out it's not, he starts to close the door when Sabrina says, "Wait". Then Sasha calls and says to give her husband the pills and her husband says that it's not even the pill guy and that it's just a little girl. Sasha comes and asks Sabrina what she wants and asks her if she's Sasha Whitlock and Sasha tells his husband to leave and asks Sabrina how she knows her name and asks her if she's one of the police officers. Sabrina then says no and that she's only 15 years old. Sasha then asks why she's here and Sabrina says that she's trying to find her mom and that she used to go by Candy Johnson. Then Sasha says to her, "Oh, man." She then turns back to her husband and says, "I thought you said he'd be here by now". Her husband said that's what the maintenance guy told him. Sasha says to call him and her husband says he can't, because his phone doesn't have any more range. Sabrina asks if it's okay if she comes in and Sasha asks her if she has any money on her and Sabrina says that she might have a few dollars. Sasha lets her in and asks if she has any cigarettes on her and Sabrina says she doesn't and then asks her if her name is really Sasha and she says she hasn't gone by that name in a long time. Sabrina asks if that means that she's her mom. Sasha ignores her question and asks her this - "What do you want? A cookie". Sabrina says no, but that she is hungry and Sasha says to look in the fridge for food and she does and Sasha says to not eat the orange that is in there because it's hers. Sabrina says that it's the only thing in there that is there to eat for her and Sasha says that she better not be thinking about eating it. She then tells her to come to her and she does and she asks if she has a cell phone and Sabrina says yes and then Sasha gets off her couch and asks her to unlock her phone for her and she does and then Sasha gives it to her husband to call the pill guy. And then she asks Sabrina what else she brought with her and asks her if she has any pills and she says no and then Sasha then tells her to tell her again why she's here. Sabrina says that she was hoping to stay with her. Sasha's husband says the pill guy's phone went to voicemail and Sasha says to try again. Sabrina asks again if she can stay with Sasha and she says, "Yeah, whatever". Then Sabrina asks where she can put her stuff and Sasha says to use the pillow on her couch. Then Sabrina thanks her and asks her if there's a blanket she can use and Sasha says, "What do you think this is, Tarjae?", and Sabrina replies back by saying, "Do you mean Target?". Sasha then says, "Hey ... don't you come into my house and try to insult me" and Sabrina apologizes about that and then Sasha's husband says the pill guy didn't answer his call. Sasha then says to her husband, "Okay, you know what?", and her husband replies back with, "Huh?". And then Sasha says to her husband, "Let's hit the street" and Sasha's husband says, "Oh yeah." and then Sasha they'll probably find some pills there and her husband agrees. Sabrina then says to them, "Wait. You guys are leaving? What about my phone?". Sasha says they'll bring it back and tells her not to make a mess while they're gone.
Act V (Sabrina comes back home Scene)
We then see Sabrina's adoptive mother, Cindy saying to the police this - "Thanks for nothing!". She then says to her husband that it's like the police aren't even trying to help find their daughter. Her husband then says, "You heard what she said. If it's within 24 hours, the missing person usually comes home on their own." Cindy then says, "Yeah, but what if she doesn't, James? Then what? She has never not come home like this!". James then tells Cindy to please stay calm and tells her to eat something, and Cindy disagrees since she just wants Sabrina to come back home. We then shift back to a scene where we see Sabrina reading a book inside Sasha's apartment as she and her husband come back inside, who is suprised that she is still here. Sasha asks if she ate her orange and Sabrina says no. Sasha says, "Good" and goes to the fridge and checks if she actually did or not and sees the orange in there and kisses it and then puts it back in the fridge and closes it. Sabrina asks her if she'll help her with her homework and Sasha asks why she would do that. And Sabrina says, "I don't know, maybe because I'm ... your daughter". She then asks if it even matters to her she came to see her. Sasha says, "You think that if I wanted you to come see me, I would have given you up for adoption? Huh? This is too much" and goes to see if her husband (Gary) is awake so she can get him off Sabrina's bed, which is their second couch and then after he doesn't wake up, she tells Sabrina that she's gonna have to sleep on the floor now. She hears her phone buzzing and asks if that's her phone that is buzzing and Sasha says, "Oh yeah. Who is this lady? Cindy? She's called like 100 times". Sabrina says, "That's my -" and Sasha says, "Get a life, lady! Buzzkill" and ends the call on Sabrina's phone and gives it to her. We then shift back to Cindy and James' house where we see Cindy crying and blaming herself for not telling her earlier that she was adopted and James telling her not to and then we see Sabrina come inside their house and they come to hug her and say to her they were so worried about her and that they're so happy that she's home and Cindy says that she's really sorry about not telling her about her birth parents and Sabrina says it's okay and that she understands now and that she knows that they were just trying to protect her and James says, "Yes, exactly. Wait, does that mean you actually -". Sabrina then asks if it's okay if they talk about everything later since she hasn't eaten all day and she's really hungry and Cindy agrees. Sabrina then says, "You were right, you know." James then says, "About what", and Sabrina recites the moral of the film, which is, "Family doesn't require blood." Then, they all sit down to eat the thanksgiving dinner that Cindy and James both made together. Cindy then hears someone knocking on the door and says she'll get it and we see that it's Bella and Cindy says, "Hi. Can I help you?". And Bella says, "Hi. I'm Bella, Sabrina's sister. I was wondering if -". Sabrina overhears and asks Bella what she's doing here. Bella says after their talk, she decided to come clean and tell David everything and Sabrina asks Bella how he felt about it. Bella says suprisingly, he was really supportive and Sabrina says that she's happy for her. Bella says she hopes she didn't interrupt and that she just wanted to let Sabrina know and that she's welcome to come over any time. Sabrina says thanks and that's a great idea. Bella says that she'll see her later and then Cindy says that they were just about to have Thanksgiving dinner and asks if she would like to join them. Bella says she would, but that she already ate. Cindy then says Thanksgiving is the one time of the year and that she's supposed to have seconds and then Bella says you're right and then she comes inside. Bella sits down and Sabrina introduces her to her dad and then Sabrina takes out her phone and tells her mom to stand at the right side of her and her dad to stand at the left side of her and Bella asks what they're doing and Sabrina says taking a family pic. She then shows it to Bella, who says that it's so cute. Sabrina's parents then welcome Bella to the family. Sabrina then uploads her photo of her mom, her dad, and Bella on Instagram and then we shift to a scene where we see her friend, Toni sees it in her house and then we see her go downstairs to have dinner with her family.
Post-Credits Scene with a special appearance of Ayden Mekus
In a post-credits scene, we see a police officer bring a prisoner to a visitor. He tells him that he thinks that he's his dad and then he says, "Here we go. Let me guess. You want help finding your mom?". The visitor says, "No. Actually ... I came here for some money." The prisoner then laughs and says, "Whew. Not my day." Then the film finally ends as we shift back to Sasha's apartment where we see her looking for her orange in the fridge again and then her seeing Gary eating it and her trying to get it back from him.
Cast
Main Cast
- Sofia Chicorelli Serna - Sabrina Mulgannon
- Katherine Norland - Mom (Cindy)
- Colin Borden - Dad
- Brianni Walker - Toni
- Kelsey Lee Smith - Bella Mulgannon
- Amanda Klein - Bella’s Mom
- Daniel Salas - Birth Dad (Darius Mulgannon)
- Nerissa Tedesco - Birth Mom (Candy Johnson/Sasha Whitlock)
Supporting / Minor Characters
- Devon Weetly - Toni’s Brother
- Riki Yvette Westmoreland - Toni’s Mom
- James Troup - Toni’s Dad
- Jordan Demario - Dave (Bella's Fiancee)
- Debi Kaye - Maid
- Shana May - Maid 2
- Sean Harris - Teacher (Mr. Soublet)
- Shaunte Massard - Prison Guard 1 Wife
- Johnnie Mack - Prison Guard 1
- Roberto Melgar - Prison Guard 2
- Ayden Mekus (Special appearance) - Visitor
- Franky Ruggiero - Prisoner 3
- J.C. Nogalez - Prisoner 4
- Zachariah Walk - Prisoner 5
- Patrick Jackson O'Neal - Prisoner 6
- Moses Mathew Jackson - Prisoner 7
- Keith Biondi - Prisoner 8
- Charles Karafotas - Prisoner 9
- Sean Honey - Prisoner 10
- Phylicia Townes - Prisoner 7's Wife
- Kylie Ware - Prisoner’s 7 Daughter
- Jake Rohr - Prisoner’s 8 Brother
- Deborah Bare - Prisoner’s 9 Wife
- Cody Key - Prisoner’s 9 Son
- Linda Michaels - Prisoner’s 10 Sister
- James Macpherson - Prison Guard 3
- Torrey Bain Lawrence - Prison Guard 4
- Rolando Gonzalez - Prison Guard 5
- Omar Cook - Prison Guard 6
- Tiffany Harding - Prison Guard 7
- Angela Sánchez - Prison Guard 8
- Gary Mortensen - Prison Guard 9
- Vincent Sawyer - Prison Guard 10
- Aliyah M. Harris - Prison Guard 1's Daughter
- Michael John Parker - Drug Addict (Gary)
- Jackie Green - Junkie 1
- Lynn Allinger - Junkie 2
- DeShane Mathis - Passerby
- Peerada Meemalayath - Passerby 1
- Taninna Oukacine - Passerby 2
- Trevor Worthy - Passerby 3
- Samuel Parker - Student 1
- Andrea S. McCoy - Student 2
- Andrew Rodriguez - Student 5
- Keilahni Dixon - Student 6
- Roman Cabaong - Student 7
- Nathaniel Sanchez - Student 9
- Gigi Ganza - Student 12
- Cai Ugarrio - Student 13
- Ashley Davidson - Student 16
- Sterling Temple Howard - Student 18
- Orion Hunter - Student 19
- Kayleigh Jones - Student 20
- Marcus Elam - Customer 1
- Faizan Sheikh - Customer 3
- Unissa Cruse - Customer 4
- JusTina Johnson - Customer 6
- Eric West - Customer 7
- Michele Marotta - Customer 8
- Aliyah Murray - Customer 10
- Koda - Black Cat
- Kelly Bunasawa - Employee 1
- Faye Jusay - Employee 2
Trivia
- In the poster Sabrina fade is replaced by leafs mostly likely that a theme is Thanksgiving or the season takes place in fall.