Yasuhara and Junko, nurses in a hospital, suspect that one of their patients is being abused by her partner and decide to take action into their own in Liberate the Toy (2012), by Zenzo Sakai. The short film, shot in 16mm and converted to digital, delves into thriller territory to tell a story of revenge that reflects on human drives and the female psyche on two levels: on the one hand, that of the possible victim and, on the other, that of these two women who set in motion a plan to free her. Driven by suspense and mystery, the Japanese director uses the tools at his disposal (temporal games, minimal settings, almost total absence of music) to build an unsettling atmosphere in which our perception is mediated by questions that remain unresolved. "Are we doing the right thing?", Junko asks herself at one point. And, with her, we ask ourselves: Why do they act this way? Are they projecting their own guilt, caused by the weight of past mistakes? Who is telling the truth? Are these women doing the right thing? Sakai does not pretend to give an answer, but rather that these (and other) questions accompany us from beginning to end, as we walk through this labyrinth of illusions and try to find a light at the exit. DANIELA URZOLA