How Documentary Went Off the Rails

Streamers were once smitten with small stories. Then came celebs, sports stars and true crime. But at Sundance, glimmers that a tiny gold rush could be back

DOC STARS From left: David Beckham, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and Pam Anderson. (Photo illustration by The Ankler; Beckham: Henry Nicholls/AFP; Sussexes: Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation; Anderson, Raymond Hall/GC Images)

By almost any metric, the lineup of documentaries at last month’s Sundance Film Festival were bold, ecl…