Oscar-contending film finds human search for connection in complex characters

Movie review: ‘The Whale’ by Darren Aronofsky, ★★★★☆

Brendan Fraser plays Charlie in The Whale. Photo courtesy of A24.

Yes, as the publicity material states, Darren Aronofsky’s award-winning film The Whale is about a reclusive English instructor who hopes to resume a relationship with his estranged teenage daughter. But as with any good film, The Whale is about much more than its main plot, in this case th…