The Candidates

Joseph and Stalin are two mismatched best friends with a talent for sabotaging corrupt corporations from within. Joseph, a cocky accountant with a weakness for sex and chaos, and Stalin, a blunt Indian hacker with a dry sense of humor, are fired after a brawl at their previous job, just as they finish secretly bringing the company down in a fraudulent takedown scheme. They celebrate their latest victory and agree to lay low with legitimate jobs for a year, applying to a firm called Disco Disco. But their job interview takes a wild turn when they're ambushed by Simon, a cigar-smoking ex-CEO with a tragic past, a violent temper, and a need for revenge. Simon blackmails the duo into infiltrating his brother's private security company, Rools Fools, which he claims is responsible for the murder of his wife and daughter. As the two try to decline, Simon physically and psychologically breaks them down, forcing them into complicity by threatening their lives, exposing their history to the FBI, and dangling the promise of freedom if they help destroy his brother’s empire from within. With no other choice, they begin their infiltration: Joseph seduces his way into an office job, while Stalin unexpectedly reunites with his ex-girlfriend Esther, now the company’s HR manager and Joseph’s sister. As Joseph and Stalin struggle to maintain their cover, chaos erupts inside and outside the office. Chinese gangsters with old vendettas attack them in restrooms, Simon keeps interfering with wild stunts and threats, and Esther’s lingering resentment toward Stalin threatens to derail their mission. Meanwhile, Tilda, Joseph’s affair and Simon’s wife, adds layers of tension and confusion, complicating loyalties even further. Joseph and Stalin try to balance personal entanglements, insane coworkers, and a dangerous mission, all while pretending to be normal employees in a ticking time bomb of a company. The story unfolds with escalating absurdity, stylized violence, and unexpected emotional moments. At its core, The Candidates is a chaotic buddy comedy that satirizes modern work culture, corruption, and the absurdity of revenge. With its mix of high-stakes action and irreverent humor, the screenplay rides a fine line between danger and absurdity, leading up to a climax where friendship, identity, and survival all collide. Beneath the insanity, it asks what loyalty really means, and what two “unemployable” men are truly willing to risk for freedom, family, and each other.