From The Film Pie:

Despite having no previous acting experience, Joel Courtney is wonderful as the film’s central character, Joe Lamb. He starts out as a shy, reserved kid trying to cope with the death of his mother. As the story develops, Joe will be forced to “come out of his shell”, confront an unbelievable situation and fight for the people he loves. The list includes the pretty Alice Daniard (Fanning), his long-term crush from school. The scenes shared by these two are adorable.