In 2002, over 300 bodies were discovered on the property of the Tri-State Crematory in the Appalachian foothills of northwest Georgia, thrusting an unassuming, tight-knit community into the international spotlight.
“Sahkanaga” (meaning “Great Blue Hills of God” in Cherokee, and pronounced “sock-uh-nogga”) imagines this event from the perspective of Paul, a teenager who stumbles upon the first body. Matters are further complicated by his father’s ownership of the local funeral home, and the arrival of Lyla, a beautiful stranger whose recently deceased grandfather is the first corpse Paul finds.
Shot in Walker County, Ga., with a cast of local, non-professional actors (many of whom had a direct connection to the real-life scandal), the tension mounts as Paul is entangled in his own secrets, and the entire community faces the complexities of forgiveness in the wake of an unfathomable tragedy.
The movie is running through Thursday, October 18 at Chattanooga’s Carmike Majestic 12.