Honestly, most movies about job interviews are pretty boring. They usually involve some nervous guy in a suit sweating through his shirt while a HR manager asks where he sees himself in five years. But short film The Candidate is something else entirely. It’s a 2010 masterpiece directed by David Karlak that manages to turn a standard corporate recruitment process into a high-stakes, sci-fi nightmare that stays with you long after the credits roll. It’s only nine minutes long. That’s it. Yet, in that tiny window, it does more than most two-hour Hollywood thrillers.
If you haven’t seen it, you’ve probably felt it. That weird, creeping dread that comes with wanting a job so badly you’d do almost anything to get it. The film stars Robert Picardo—yeah, the Doctor from Star Trek: Voyager—as the ultimate gatekeeper. He’s cold, he’s precise, and he’s holding the keys to a position at the mysterious "Poe-Tate" firm.
The Psychological Hook of The Candidate
The premise is deceptively simple. We follow a guy named Burton, played by Tom Gulager, who is desperate for a seat at the table. He’s led into a sterile, dimly lit room. No windows. Just a desk and a man who seems to know everything about him. This isn't just about his resume. It’s about his soul.
What makes short film The Candidate so effective is the pacing. Karlak doesn't rush. He lets the silence sit. You can hear the hum of the fluorescent lights. You can feel Burton’s heart rate climbing. The dialogue, written by Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton (the minds behind several Saw films), is sharp as a razor. It’s not "horror" in the jump-scare sense. It’s psychological warfare.
Why It Resonates with Modern Workers
We live in an era of extreme vetting. Social media monitoring, personality tests, background checks—it’s all standard now. The Candidate takes this reality and pushes it to a supernatural extreme. The "test" Burton faces isn't about his ability to manage a spreadsheet or lead a team. It’s a test of his fundamental nature.
Specifically, the film introduces a "box."
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I won't spoil the exact mechanism of the box if you're one of the three people who hasn't watched it on Vimeo yet, but let's just say it involves a very specific, very lethal consequence for a person Burton doesn't even know. It's the ultimate ethical dilemma. Would you kill a stranger for a promotion? Most people say no. But in that room, under that pressure, the answer becomes a lot more complicated. It’s a literal representation of the "rat race" where the losers don't just go home—they cease to exist.
The Craft Behind the Camera
Technically, the film is a lesson in minimalism. It was produced by the visual effects house Hydraulx, and you can see that polish in every frame. The color palette is almost monochromatic. Greys, deep blues, and harsh whites. It feels like a morgue that just happens to have office furniture.
Lighting and Atmosphere
The lighting is the secret sauce here. It creates this noir-esque feeling that suggests something is always lurking in the shadows. Robert Picardo’s performance is bolstered by this; his face is often half-hidden, making him look like a modern-day Mephistopheles. He doesn't need to shout. He just whispers, and it’s terrifying.
- Cinematography: Extremely tight shots on faces to show every bead of sweat.
- Sound Design: Low-frequency drones that create a sense of physical unease in the viewer.
- Directing: David Karlak uses the small space to make the audience feel as trapped as the protagonist.
The film cost roughly $30,000 to make, which is peanuts in the film world. Yet, it looks like it cost a million. This is why it became a viral sensation in the early 2010s and remains a staple in film school discussions about how to build tension with limited resources.
Deconstructing the Ending (Spoilers Ahead)
You can't talk about short film The Candidate without talking about that final twist. It’s the kind of ending that makes you want to go back and watch the whole thing again immediately.
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Burton thinks he’s the one making the choice. He thinks he’s the predator. But the film reveals that he was always the prey. The company isn't looking for someone who can kill; they’re looking for someone who is killable. It’s a cynical, dark commentary on how corporations view employees. You aren't a human being with a family and dreams. You're a resource. You’re a candidate. And candidates are replaceable.
This twist elevates the film from a simple thriller to a profound piece of social commentary. It asks: who is actually in control? In the world of the film, the answer is "the system." The system always wins because the system wrote the rules of the game before you even walked into the lobby.
The Legacy of David Karlak’s Vision
Since the release of The Candidate, many have tried to replicate its vibe. Shows like Severance on Apple TV+ or movies like The Menu play with similar themes of corporate surrealism and the loss of individual identity. But there’s a rawness to this short that keeps it relevant.
It doesn't have the luxury of ten episodes to build a world. It has to do it in the time it takes to brew a pot of coffee. That efficiency is its greatest strength. It’s a "bottle film" that expands into an entire universe of horror inside your head.
Where Can You Watch It?
The film is widely available on platforms like Vimeo and YouTube. It’s often featured on "Short of the Week," a site that curates the best independent films globally. If you're a fan of The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror, this is mandatory viewing. It fits perfectly into that "speculative fiction" niche where one small change to reality creates a cascading nightmare.
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How to Apply These Lessons to Your Own Creative Work
If you're a filmmaker or a writer, short film The Candidate is a masterclass. You don't need a sprawling cast. You don't need a city-destroying explosion. You need a desk, two great actors, and a concept that touches a universal nerve.
- Start with a universal fear. Everyone has been in a high-pressure interview.
- Add a "what if." What if the interview could actually kill someone?
- Execute with precision. Every line of dialogue must move the plot forward.
- Subvert expectations. The ending should feel inevitable but surprising.
Next time you’re scrolling through Netflix and can’t find anything to watch, stop. Go find this short film. It’ll take ten minutes of your life, but you’ll be thinking about it for days.
To dive deeper into the world of high-concept shorts, look into the works of other directors like Neill Blomkamp or the early shorts of Wes Anderson. They all started here—with a single, powerful idea executed perfectly within a small frame. If you want to understand the mechanics of suspense, start by analyzing the timing of Picardo’s pauses. Every second he waits to speak is a second the audience spends holding their breath. That's not just good filmmaking; that's psychological mastery.
Take a moment to look at your own professional life. Are you the one holding the box, or are you the one being watched through the glass? The answer might be more uncomfortable than you think. This film doesn't just entertain; it indicts the very culture that makes us want to be "The Candidate" in the first place. Get comfortable with the silence. The next interview is about to begin.