Mintslate Media’s Job Seekers Explains Why Job Interviews Can Feel Like Psychological Horror

 

Mintslate Media’s Job Seekers Explains Why Job Interviews Can Feel Like Psychological Horror

Job interviews are often described as opportunities. But for many people, they feel more like trials. Mintslate Media’s upcoming film Job Seekers taps directly into that reality, transforming a familiar professional ritual into a psychological experience that mirrors fear, vulnerability, and survival. Rather than exaggerating the workplace, the film reflects what many already feel when their future depends on approval, politeness, and compliance.

Founded in February 2025 by filmmaker Seyi Oluwatimilehin, Mintslate Media was created to tell stories rooted in lived experience. Job Seekers, a psychological horror film directed by Seyi Oluwatimilehin and Alan Vega, represents that mission clearly. The film follows Maya, a young immigrant played by Mauranda Nunes, as she arrives at a private research facility for a job interview that could determine her right to stay.

From the outset, the setting feels controlled and courteous. But beneath the surface, something is wrong.“One of the reasons I founded Mintslate Media was to tell stories that are real, stories that are relatable, honest, and true to our time and existence,” Seyi Oluwatimilehin explains. “Every one of these films carries a piece of my story, from feeling unwanted, to living through and understanding racism, to the quiet horrors of job seeking.”

What makes Job Seekers unsettling is how recognisable it feels.
 The film does not rely on jump scares or spectacle. Instead, it explores the quiet pressure many people experience in interviews, especially those navigating immigration systems, power imbalances, or precarious employment. The expectation to appear grateful. The fear of saying the wrong thing. The sense that survival depends on being agreeable.

Marcel Albers, who plays Dr Wendi, embodies that power imbalance with disturbing calm.
 “Audiences should expect me to portray my character with the psychotic tendencies that he has. And to display his lack of caring for other people,” he says.

In Job Seekers, horror emerges from systems rather than individuals. The politeness of the interview masks predatory dynamics, forcing Maya to confront how much of herself she is expected to surrender in exchange for opportunity. This reflects a reality many workers experience, where boundaries blur and dignity becomes negotiable.

“These films are deeply rooted in real experiences,” Seyi says. “This, to me, is one of the things I feel is lacking in the Canadian film industry, a genuine human connection and a sense of relatability that allows audiences to truly see themselves on screen.”

Mintslate Media’s approach invites audiences to recognise themselves in the story rather than observe it from a distance. The camera lingers. Silence is allowed. Discomfort is not rushed away. Through this restraint, Job Seekers reframes the job interview as a psychological space where power operates quietly but decisively.

As an upcoming release, Job Seekers positions Mintslate Media as a film company willing to explore uncomfortable truths with care and honesty. It reminds viewers that fear does not always announce itself loudly. Sometimes, it wears a smile, asks polite questions, and decides your future behind closed doors.