With victories at both the SAG and BAFTA Awards — two critical precursors — the Focus Features drama enters Oscar night in a strong position. This mirrors the trajectory of “Shakespeare in Love” (1998),

The other Oscar favorites — Demi Moore, Zoe Saldaña and Kieran Culkin — all won. The SAG Awards are closely watched as an Oscar preview. Their picks don’t always align exactly with those of the film academy, but they often nearly do.