Understanding that his life was threaded with risk, climber and BASE jumper Matt Blank embarked on a project: writing letters to his closest friends and family to let them know how much they meant to him. That way, he figured, if his life were cut short he’d leave something behind to express his affection.

What he didn’t expect was that one of the recipients — his best friend and longtime climbing partner Ian Flanders — would go first.

When We Were Knights, an elegiac film by Anson Fogel, explores friendship, partnership, adventure and the many iterations of love that give meaning to our lives.