SUMO: Spirit Weighs Nothing

The Japanese sport of sumo goes back centuries, and its wrestlers (rikishi) are more than just athletes. Marked by their heavyweight physique, topknot hairstyle, and traditional garb (mawashi), they epitomize aspects of Japan’s premodern culture and Shinto beliefs and rituals. This exquisitely crafted documentary follows a group of Sumo wrestlers at different stages of their careers—from one veteran champion to several rising newcomers—as they strive to become the best and toss their opponents to the ground or outside the ring.

Chicago-raised filmmaker Erik Shirai returns to the Festival after his 2015 nonfiction triumph The Birth of Saké with another luminous snapshot of a Japanese tradition elevated from the material to the spiritual. The film’s muted color palette and superb compositions imbue the proceedings with an elegance and timelessness befitting its centuries-old subject matter. Closely observing the wrestlers’ strict training protocols and daily routines (which include lots of rice-eating), the film brings to life the visceral experience and high-stakes suspense of the ancient sport.