Movie Review: The Showerhead

One-liner: While better served as a mini-series, this comprehensive documentary is an insightful and powerful chronicle of a bold political cartoonist’s impactful and influential career.

Zapiro is one of the world’s most influential political cartoonists. Based in South Africa and better known as Zapiro, Jonathan Shapiro has become the country’s most respected and widely published political cartoonist with his work appearing in the Sunday Times, Daily Maverick and paperback annuals. His powerful and sharp-witted cartoons have made him a force in the media, a fierce political commentator, a thought leader and a national treasure.

Creating accessible, intelligent and insightful images, Zapiro’s satirical and often controversial work has continued to provoke thought from his earliest days as an anti-apartheid struggle artist to the here and now. Wielding the power to influence public opinion, spark debate and hold politicians to account, Zapiro’s considerable harbinger effect has inspired a new generation of political jesters.

Zapiro has more than earned his place as a fearless commentator and insightful critic in South African politics. His cartoons have captured the essence of many issues plaguing South Africa in the post-Mandela period, including: “failures of leadership, subversion of the Constitution and the rule of law, corruption, and threats to freedom of expression”. Going beyond the ink, he’s commanded respect worldwide as an ambassador of free speech and achieved a degree of notoriety in pop culture for his ability to call it like it is. Whatever your thoughts on Zapiro or his work, we can all agree it was high time that someone made a documentary based on his influential cartoons and decades-spanning career.

That someone is producer and director Craig Tanner and that documentary is The Showerhead. Produced by Anant Singh, the acclaimed filmmaker’s political films about South Africa’s chequered history reinforce the film’s position. While the curious title may raise questions for international audiences, most South Africans should join the dots when they discover this is a Zapiro documentary. The showerhead in question has become synonymous with former President Jacob Zuma after his 2016 rape trial, now a fixed, iconic and ongoing part of Zapiro’s caricature of the controversial and disgraced politician.

In much the same way as Herman Melville’s classic Moby Dick, The Showerhead positions Zapiro as Captain Ahab with his evasive whale being Jacob Zuma. In this spirit, the political documentary isn’t trying to be a definitive portrait of Zapiro but rather a comprehensive chronicle of his long-running feud with the politician. Much like a stand up comedian would thrive on a country’s political circus, Zuma’s controversial presidency gave Zapiro a wealth of material for him to satirise.

The Showerhead

The Showerhead does have a biographical slant with a few details about Shapiro’s personal life but the focus is mostly on career, strictly being about Zapiro and not specifically Jonathan Shapiro. This makes The Showerhead a chronological tour of the ANC presidency from the optimistic time of Nelson Mandela’s inauguration and beyond. Zapiro’s political cartoons date back to the start of the New South Africa, giving the build-up to the infamous showerhead’s introduction valuable context.

Having faced death threats and detention, Zapiro’s been at the frontline of political commentary with many of his edgy cartoons blowing up to the point of making news in their own capacity. The celebrated cartoonist has attracted a few hefty lawsuits over his time in a bid to frighten and nullify and become somewhat untouchable in the process. Unfortunately for Jacob Zuma, the legal threats only strengthened Zapiro’s mission and resolve. Taking on a president who commands considerable resources and dangerous allies is no funny business, yet Zapiro has proved the old adage that the pen is mightier than the sword again and again.

The Showerhead an important documentary film, showing the power of one and speaking truth to power in exercising one’s freedom of expression. It’s fascinating to get a personal tour of Zapiro’s career through archive footage and some of his most iconic images, documenting the rainbow nation’s presidents under the rule of the ANC. Getting the story and true inspiration behind the cartoons from the artist at his drawing desk makes the experience even more personal and special.

He’s not alone, with commentary from an array of academics, editors, historians and politicians. Among the list of well-respected contributing interviewees is editor-in-chief Mondli Makhanya, struggle stalwart Ronnie Kasrils, newspaper editor Ferial Haffejee, trade union leader Zwelinzima Vavi, media lawyer Dario Milo as well as academics Professor Ashwin Desai and Professor Glenda Daniels.

The Showerhead is a testament to Zapiro’s influential career as a powerful political cartoonist. His relentless passion, dedication and bravery shines through making this “Moby Dick” tale compelling in its reflection of the country’s ever-changing political landscape. While the documentary chronicles the highs and lows of Zapiro’s career in a comprehensive, insightful and respectful manner, it isn’t without its flaws.

Mondli Makhanya

The Showerhead successfully relays Zapiro’s tenacious spirit, political sway and powerful cartoons with enough time for appreciation. Yet, having so many “talking heads” and covering three decades of nuanced work does stagger the 99 minute running time. Perhaps releasing The Showerhead as a political docuseries with a focus on each presidential era would have been a better format for the production.

It’s clear that the documentary has been retooled or stretched to cover more recent political developments as relates to Jacob Zuma’s political journey. Doing this through text title screens ensures The Showerhead’s more relevant and up-to-date. Just as it seems like the documentary’s coming in to land, it takes off again and the longer running time is felt. While it’s a curious contrast to get the inside story behind Brett Murray’s debacle with his The Spear painting of Jacob Zuma – this detour may have been better served as a short film to open The Showerhead.

The title is re-emphasised and book-ended by visuals of an actual showerhead. While a little provocative, it does seem at odds with the rest of the documentary. This “Hitchcockian” choice is a bit jarring and signals there could have been more finesse with the rest of the film’s handling. Maybe animating some of Zapiro’s work could have ensured a better tonal consistency. As it stands, The Showerhead documentary does a good job of translating Zapiro’s ability to be accessible, bold, insightful and substantial.

The bottom line: Compelling