Cubers’ Winning Friendship

(Above: Max Park and Feliks Zemdegs. Source: Netflix)

The Speed Cubers, a 40-minute documentary about two Rubik’s Cube champs who develop an unlikely friendship, arrives today, July 29, on Netflix.  It sounds like a real winner – in more ways than one.

A Rubik’s Cube – the three-dimensional combination puzzle invented in 1974 by Ernő Rubik – can be solved in 20 moves, regardless of the starting position or how scrambled. Yet, for many, including yours truly, setting the color blocks in the right order is no piece of cake.

The Speed Cubers dives into the sport of Rubik’s Cube playing. At competitions around the world, the very best players meet to see who is fastest (if you can’t do it in mere seconds, fuggedaboutit!)

For nearly a decade, Australian Feliks Zemdegs reigned supreme. Then, in 2017, a then-unknown challenger, Max Park from California, took home the Gold. The two have jockeyed back and forth ever since, each winning and setting world records. But instead of bitter rivals, Feliks and Max have become friends.

The story has an added dimension: Speed cubing is therapeutic for Max, who is highly autistic. And Max’s biggest ally in dealing with autism? Feliks. The film shows how the two competitors root for each other’s success.

For more, visit Netflix.