Those who find something appealing about the imperfect people in _Closer_ and their destined failures might be onto something. My appreciation for it comes from its structure; it’s fundamentally shaped like a square. The various pairings of affection and camaraderie, as well as bitterness and anger, involving two men and two women are arranged with precision. Usually, a reliable love triangle involves three people, frequently following a familiar pattern—a male lead moving between two females, or a female deciding among two potential partners. What happens when you add another person to the mix? How many triangles can be formed using four individuals? Four! And _Closer_ manages to explore each and every one of them. The next time you watch it, try drawing a square with each character at a corner. Then map out the connections between them as they develop, starting with Julia, Jude, and Natalie. Jude develops feelings for Natalie, who he then introduces to Julia, leading to an intimate encounter captured on camera. The triangle involving Jude, Clive, and Julia is particularly well-constructed. Clive appears when Jude initiates a relationship online, pretending to be Julia, and they eventually meet at the aquarium. It’s common for scripts or plays that stick rigidly to a formula to feel lifeless and predictable. However, _Closer_ avoids this pitfall. The use of this four-sided framework compels each character to consider every possibility, exploring every connection to its fullest extent.

Source on TMDB