​​​​​​Juan is a major character in the Oscar-winning film Moonlight. He is a local drug dealer who becomes a father figure to the protagonist Chiron and propels him on his journey from boyhood to manhood.

​​​​​​Juan is played by Mahershala Ali.

Moonlight[]

Juan, who comes from Cuba, works as a drug dealer in a poor Miami neighborhood. He is first introduced having a conversation with one of his customers.

When the main protagonist, Chiron, is chased by bullies through the street, Juan hides him in his crackhouse and saves his life. Later, he takes him to his house and introduces him to his girlfriend Teresa. That is when the two of them form a strong bond. Afterwards, Juan takes Chiron home to his crack-addicted mother, Paula, who scolds him for worrying her.

Juan takes Chiron under his wing and teaches how to swim and overcome what life throws at him. He later tells him that in his homeland, when he was a child, an elderly woman nicknamed him "Blue" because "in moonlight, black boys look blue" when he was running around on the beach before telling him he must take charge of his own life.

After bidding Chiron farewell, Juan notices Paula taking drugs with one of his customers. As the two of them argue about Chiron's upbringing, he berates her for taking the crack he gave her and for neglecting her son while she rebukes him for selling them to her in the first place and for criticizing her on how she's raising Chiron without him taking responsibility for raising Chiron himself.

The next day, Chiron meets Juan, telling him he hates his mother for the way she treats him. The latter tells him he hated his mother too, but she passed away. Chiron asks Juan what a f****t is, and Juan defines it as "a word to make gay people feel bad." Chiron asks Juan if his mother does drugs, and when Juan says yes, Chiron leaves.

Juan passes away, but his wisdom sets Chiron on his journey from boyhood to manhood.

Trivia[]

• Ali earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance, becoming the first Muslim to receive an Academy Award.