Max on the Podium at the Rubik’s Cube World Championships in Paris.
In a touching short 5-minute film about Max by professional speedcuber and filmmaker Chris Olson (above, you HAVE to watch it), Max’s dad Schwan describes the impact cubing and the cubing community has had on their lives. “Before cubing Max always had such a hard time looking someone else in the eye or even saying ‘hello.’ Even now, it isn’t easy for him,” he says. “But when he’s in a cubing competition, he’s much more open to looking other people in the eyes. I think there’s an implicit trust with other cubers.” He goes on to say, “We always hoped, but never thought that Max would get to this point. You go from being told that your son has autism and that he’ll need assistance for the rest of his life, to then, him showing us what is possible. And he has taught us much more then we ever thought we would teach him.” Max’s mom agrees, saying, “He’s taught me so much about how to achieve your personal goals when you are open to the possibilities that anything could be possible. And most importantly, he has shown me how to love life and treat each day we have as a family as if it’s worth a million dollars.”
Max Park (right) with his dad Schwan Park and brother Jason Park. Courtesy Miki Park.
Filmmaker Olson met Max through speedcubing (Olson himself won 2nd place on the 2×2 cube at World’s in Paris), and says he wanted to make this short film about Max because of “just how much his [Max’s] life has been impacted because of a Rubik’s cube. I love seeing how people’s lives have changed simply by getting into speedcubing. His parents’ dedication is also massively inspiring. I haven’t met many parents as dedicated as they are.” As luck would have it, Olson was on the same flight to Paris for the World Championships as the Park family. He struck up a conversation with Schwan Park about telling Max’s story, and he says, “Before we landed we had a goal in mind and then he created a script.” The result is the beautiful 5-minute story of a boy, a cube, and two parents who would not quit.
Filmmaker Chris Olson and Max Park solving Rubik’s Cubes in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Courtesy Chris Olson.
But the Park’s story is more than just a story about THEIR family, it’s a story about the larger cubing community, a tight-knit group of competitors-turned-friends, and the parents and family members who support them. Olson describes the way his cubers-in-arm have accepted Max and his autism as “very kind and understanding.” Miki says she loves being a part of the cubing community because “it is one large cubing family. Our family away from home. It is so comfortable to meet other families with kids who are passionate about solving this cube. And because of that we seem to all know each other without ever having met before.”
A World Champion and world record-holder at just 15, I predict Max Park is going to be a part of this big cubing family and an inspiration to cubing newcomers for years to come.
To learn more about Max, check out his Facebook page and YouTube channel as well as Chris Olson Films on Facebook and YouTube.
