"Sissit" is the name of Finland's famed commando group which patrolled the borders of the country and staged harassing raids into enemy territory during the last war. The film tells of the experiences of a small unit and especially the effects of war on one of its leaders, Lieut. Takala. The young officer has been though some horrifying experiences, he is tired, unhappy about the futility of the war, of the senseless killings the German occupation forces order his unit to perform, and the sorry waste in lives as they attempt to capture impossible objectives at Ihe command of the German military. He is moody and seeks oblivion in the arms of various of the womenfolk who serve the army as nurses, cooks, telephonists. One day, however, he discovers that he is impotent, he has "the killer's sickness", brought about by the unrelenting rigours of patrol life. As the war drags on and one dangerous mission is carried out after the other, discipline slackens as the unrelieved strain of the sorties bring the men to ex­haustion and despair. Yet another sortie is ordered: the objective is to bring back an enemy officer alive. This incident and the resulting massacre causes Takala's complete breakdown which takes many years to heal. The film was made in the naturalistic style already observed in Finland's earlier war film seen in a previous Festival; the characters are well defined and shrewdly observed, both in action and in the brief periods of rest. Humorous episodes relieve the oppressive monotony of bloody patrols, fine photography and good acting distinguish this thoughtful drama about men crushed to pulp by the cruelty, filth, loneliness and revulsion that is war.