The Cinema Columbus Film Festival kicks off Thursday, showcasing independent films, many of which were made in Ohio.
One documentary on the roster, “This is Pike County,” follows the close-knit rural community of Piketon as the people there face mounting pressures, including addiction and a family's murder. The film looks at what it means to come of age in a place that's been left behind.
The movie's director, Laura Paglin of Cleveland, lived in the Budget Motel featured in the film while working on the project. She said staying in the motel gave her a window into her subjects' lives.
WOSU’s Allie Vugrincic talked with Paglin about the documentary.
Allie Vugrincic: So, this film ended up being largely about the day-to-day lives of the people in this rural community, but that's not the film you originally intended to make, right? What brought you to Pike County?
Laura Paglin: Well, like many people, I'd heard about the Rhoden murders.
Allie Vugrincic: That's when eight members of the Rhoden family were shot and killed in four homes in 2016.
Laura Paglin: You know, I didn't think that was the kind of material I would make a documentary about. But after about a year, I was intrigued by the fact that they still weren't solved. And I was just curious, you know, what is it like to live in a small community where there's been a murder of this scale? So, you know, I drove down there and I soon realized the murderers aren't gonna introduce themselves to me and let me interview them. And I became more interested in Pike County itself. I really just fell in love with the place.
Allie Vugrincic: What stories did you end up telling?
Laura Paglin: I really wanted to focus on, you know, what is it like to live day to day with these kinds of pressures? You know, there's a little girl, Lilly, who was 11 at the time, and she was living with her father at the motel who was addicted to drugs. You know, she had a very difficult life, but also (was) a very bubbly girl, who really was thirsting for new experiences. And so, I followed her. Mamie, the woman who managed the hotel, it was really more like kind of a den mother. You know, it was more like a residential hotel. And then a lot of people living there were at a crossroads in their lives. And then on top of that, I soon learned that there was an actual atomic plant, and this had been the main industry for the town. After the Cold War, it was decommissioned. The Department of Energy was planning to create a dump site for the waste from the plant. So, it's, you know, basically it's about people living with these huge forces that are almost beyond their control. We've buried our loved ones here. But, you know, it's not just all about problems and issues, either. This is a place where people really hold to their traditions.
Allie Vugrincic: Obviously, it's not about the Rhoden murders anymore, but are the shadow of the murders still in there?
Laura Paglin: There are some family members that talk about the murders, and you can really feel their grief. There's a real heaviness. So yes, they are in there, but they function more like a symbol of these other dark forces.
Allie Vugrincic: How long did you end up spending in Pike County?
Laura Paglin: Most of the filming I did from 2017 through 2019. At that point, I felt I had enough as far as following the story threads. And then equally, if not more difficult, was to figure out how to put all this together. You know, the opioids, the fight against the atomic dump, the murders. I mean, that's a lot to kind of thread together. I made a film just about Lily. I tried one where I focused on the murders. Anyway, none of those really worked. So, I kind of had to go back to the original idea.
Allie Vugrincic: What story does this film ultimately tell and why does it matter?
Laura Paglin: More than telling a specific story, what's more important is the question it asks. What is one generation going to leave the next?
“This is Pike County,” will show at 7 p.m. Friday at the Wexner Center for the Arts as part of the Cinema Columbus Film Festival. Paglin will participate in a Q&A session after the film. One of the film's subjects, Lilly, now 19, is also expected to attend.
The 78-minute documentary has screened in 12 cities across the country. It will be included in the Newbury Documentary Film Festival in Newburyport, Massachusetts, on Sept. 25, and will be shown at the Athena Cinema in Athens, Ohio, on Nov. 12.
