Erik Shirai's documentary "Sumo: Spirit Weighs Nothing," produced by ESPN Films, premiered as the opening film of Venice's Spotlight competition, following several sumo wrestlers across a year of their careers. The film aims to present sumo with dignity and beauty rather than the reductive framing it often receives in the West, though this respectful approach means it largely avoids grappling with the sport's more difficult issues.

The documentary follows figures including 24-year-old Hiradoumi, a rising Japanese star; teenage trainee Yonezawaryu, who has doubts about the sport's physical toll; and Mongolian-born Terunofuji, the only active yokozuna at the time of filming, who at 33 is contemplating retirement after a 14-year career and admits sumo may be cutting his lifespan by 10 to 20 years. The review notes the film glosses over controversies such as hazing, match-fixing and the exclusion of women, and only briefly touches on sumo's declining popularity in Japan and the rarity of homegrown champions, but praises its striking black-and-white and sepia-toned cinematography.