What if the Mirror Told the Truth? “2025 Alive” as an Unsettling Reflection of Our Times

No one can deny that living in this era feels like a collective test of emotional, intellectual, and moral endurance. That’s precisely what “2025 Alive” aims to capture—an audiovisual performance that defies traditional molds and becomes more than a song, but a reflective and sensory experience.

At the helm of the project is Cory Cullinan, a chart-topping musician, commissioned composer, author, award-winning teacher, and studio owner. With “2025 Alive,” he bridges generations and disciplines to explore what it means to be alive in a year that feels like a constant trial.

The project is a family collaboration: the soundtrack is a high-tech improvisation created by Cory and his daughter, acclaimed singer-songwriter Riley Max, while directed and created by his daughter, Sidney Cullinan, a filmmaker who has worked with Grammy-winning artists and led campaigns for top environmental organizations like The Nature Conservancy.

Musically, “2025 Alive” flows between the experimental and the emotional. Fragmented voices, synthetic atmospheres, and a near-cinematic treatment of sound create a landscape that feels both dreamlike and unsettling. The repeated and deconstructed use of the word “test” encapsulates the project’s core intention: to represent the chaos, the inner and outer challenges, and the clash of ideas that define life in a world turned upside down.

Cory added that “this word is immediately deconstructed and splintered into pieces, like so much in our modern world. Whether current events are testing your resolve in a culture you loved, or you support those who are testing just how far we can break or reform our norms, this premise is apropos of what you are experiencing in 2025.”

The short film takes this tension a step further because, in today’s world, reality itself is dramatic enough. There’s no need for visual effects or sci-fi tropes to portray the state of our planet. The images oscillate between dystopian and poetic, as Sidney captures the complexity of a time when values, politics, and everyday life collide without mercy.

“2025 Alive” is a multigenerational piece that doesn't offer easy answers—it raises urgent questions instead. How far can we stretch the limits of normality? Which ideas deserve to stay, and which must fall apart? The Cullinan family is holding up a sort of Mirror of Erised to our times.

Stay connected with Cory Cullinan via: Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Web